Q: Has the perception of wealth and luxury in cinema changed among audiences too?
A: Definitely. Earlier, wealth in cinema was often portrayed with a villainous undertone—the antagonist was usually rich, while the protagonist represented the 'aam aadmi.' But today, with social media and global exposure, younger audiences are more aspirational. Luxury is no longer villainized—it’s desired.

I experienced this firsthand while shooting in Rajasthan. We had to delay filming by a month because the heritage locations we had selected were fully booked—for weddings and tourism. That says something about how aspirational lifestyles are now part of everyday Indian culture. India, pre-independence, was a wealthy nation, rich in heritage—and that legacy is being reclaimed in a contemporary, global context.

Q: What is your personal relationship with luxury? Do you celebrate it?
A: Absolutely. If you look at my body of work—Broken, The Night Manager, and now Royals—you'll see I gravitate toward stories with scale and luxury. It’s challenging to make characters in such extravagant settings feel human and relatable, and I enjoy that challenge.

Growing up, I had a modest but comfortable life. Holidays, travel, and aspirational living were important in my upbringing. That desire to experience the best, to go on that perfect holiday, to reach the next milestone—"Now we’ll only fly first class"—that pursuit is still part of who I am.

Q: Bhoomi once said the show feels like a mix of Bridgerton and Schitt’s Creek. Were those direct references during conceptualization?
A: I think that perception came later. Personally, I never used those shows as references. In fact, I’ve never watched Schitt’s Creek or Bridgerton. But I do believe Rangita and the writing team had that tone in mind—Bridgerton’s scale with Schitt’s Creek’s humor and eccentric characters. So while the writing may have been influenced, my direction came purely from instinct.

This was one of the few times I had no external reference while creating a show. There was no precedent for something like Royals, especially one that straddles drama, romance, and comedy all in one. Editing the first two episodes took time, just to find and set the tone. But once that was done, we built from there.

Q: Were there any scenes during production that felt "too aspirational"?
A: Nothing ever felt too aspirational. If anything, the director’s eternal struggle is asking for more and settling for less—or getting pleasantly surprised when the producer gives you more. Throughout the shoot, I kept checking in with Rangita to align our visions.

There were two major examples. In Episode 6, for the king’s coronation, I expanded the use of the main courtyard to visually tie all the scenes together. Even the "paddi don be" and "maaji paddy" scenes were resituated there. I requested additional time from the producers to make that happen because it felt necessary.

In contrast, in Episode 8, there was originally a montage written to show the fashion show preparations twice. I felt that was unnecessary and edited it down to a single sequence. I also relocated scenes—like a Nikki-Sophia scene and a Viraj scene—to maintain the story’s flow without overindulgence.

Q: What was the total duration of production?
A: I won’t give an exact number because it might set unrealistic expectations. But I will say this—we finished in record time, especially for a show of this scale. The efficiency was remarkable. Coming from The Night Manager, I can tell you Royals was wrapped up in about two-thirds the time. Still, in an ideal world, both Nupur (co-director) and I would’ve liked more time. The team was overworked, and more breathing room would’ve helped.

Q: Finally, what does true luxury mean to you—in fiction and in life?
A: In fiction, luxury can be the physical world of opulence, or the emotional aspiration for something more. It could be a story set in Heartland India with characters striving for a better life—that yearning itself can be a depiction of luxury.

In life, I’m not into material objects. I’m not someone who splurges on bags or shoes. But I spend freely on experiences. I love taking my family and close friends out for lavish meals or holidays. I want to live well—great homes, beautiful cars, meaningful moments. Luxury for me is about creating and sharing elevated experiences.