Netflix web series 'The Royals' has run into royal trouble. Members of erstwhile royal families in different parts of India have criticised the way royal households have been portrayed in the Ishaan Khatter-Bhumi Pednekar-starrer. They say the show trivialises and stereotypes royal families, even though many members of such families run successful businesses and contribute to society in several ways.
Leading the charge is Radhikaraje Gaekwad, who is from the erstwhile royal family of Wankaner. In an Instagram post titled, The Royal Ignore, she has said that one would imagine that the royals of India "would have a better chance of surviving an on-screen portrayal" such as the one in the Netflix show. "What began as a post-independence, politically motivated propaganda of stereotypical Rajas soaked in whiskey and profligacy and Ranis in chiffons and pearls, continues to define us," she said.
Ms Gaekwad has said India's independence saw the dissolution of a centuries-old, internationally recognised Indian monarchy. "Sardar Patel correctly referred to it as a 'Bloodless Revolution'. 565 princely states controlling over 40 per cent of pre-independence India handed over their homes, lands and identities for the creation of a united, democratic country," she wrote.
Ms Gaekwad said the post-Independence years were an "era of uncertainty for families that had lived for centuries with privileges".
"Undoubtedly there were a few bad royal apples and I make no excuse for them, yet while monarchs rose and fell in China and younger empires such as France, Russia and Austria, India has the unique distinction of being one of the only countries where royals reigned for centuries without any known instances of revolt or assassination. And when the time came, they relinquished their kingdoms with dignity," she wrote.
"Yet after all these decades, our own country continues to view us - all 565 families and a few thousand nobility, with an odd mixture of awe, ignorance and distaste. The real 'Royals' in the meanwhile have rolled up their sleeves and are running India's best known music festivals, museums, hotels, even constituencies and states, an impressive number being the ladies of the house - Gwalior, Jaipur, Bikaner and Kotah to name a few. Ouch to purdah and patriarchy," she said.
Ms Gaekwad wrote that royal families proudly sustain age-old traditions and festivals like the Dussehra of Mysore and the Holi of Jaipur and Udaipur that the world flocks to see, and maintain old forts that represent unique schools of art and architecture like Kishangarh, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
"Most of us have no official role in society today, no privileges or official titles, yet we remain relevant and respected in our homeland, included in festivities and affectionately referred to as a family elder -Bapji, Bapu, Daata or Ma Saheb. For the locals, political representatives have come and gone, only the Mahal and the families that reside within have remained constant, their unchallenged guardians.
"Even today royal funerals bring old and young alike from faraway villages, their lips parched and eyes moist, praying for a last glimpse of their departed elder, nostalgic of a bygone era. The young royals, too, are returning to their roots armed with degrees from universities around the world. They proudly straddle the two worlds, speak their mother tongue, wear their turbans but work to make their heritage sustainable, relatable, accessible. For they know if not them, no one else can," she wrote.
The post has received immense support from descendants of erstwhile royal families.
Yashodhara Ghorpade, former Maharani of Sandur, told NDTV, "Royals today are successfully running businesses, schools and hospitals. We are preserving folk art and craft traditions. I have been running schools for years now."
Another show on JioHotstar, Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs, has also been caught in the row for its portrayal of royals.
The Phaltan family of Maharashtra prides itself on the fact that Sai Bhonsale, the wife of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is from the family. Members of the family say they fully support Ms Gaekward's views.
Vijayadevi Rane, the wife of former Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, told NDTV that every member of a royal family "was not useless". The Rane family traces its roots to Sattari in Goa and is a part of the erstwhile Maratha royalty.
"Everyone was not useless. They laid the foundation for today's developments. Most rulers started schools, hospitals and colleges. My husband was Goa Chief Minister for 18 years. He has been a successful legislator, my son is in politics. We are actively contributing to nation-building. This is utter nonsense. Everyone does not lead a debauched life," said Ms Rane, who is from the royal family of Sandur.
The Netflix series was partly shot in Rajasthan's capital Jaipur. It is a fictional account of an erstwhile family struggling with financial troubles.
Interestingly, among the current descendants of royal families of Jaipur is Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari. A successful politician, she rose from the grassroots before being chosen for the Number 2 position in the state.
There is, of course, another viewpoint: some feel the web series is a fictional portrayal and should not be taken so seriously. Royals, however, are not amused and fear that the stereotypes projected in the show may impact their image in the public.
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