The Royals was greenlit for a second season, soon after the first dropped. But now mid-day has learnt that the leading lady, Bhumi Satish Pednekkar has left the show. The Netflix drama, which marked Zeenat Aman’s OTT debut, is expected to take a different turn from where the first season ended.

A source close to the production says, “When you do a romance, it is the story that leads. When the show came out, what resonated [with the audience] was the family — Ishaan [Khatter], Sakshi [Tanwar], Zeenat, and the world of The Royals — which feels different. We left season one at an unresolved romance. There was no decision to carry it forward. There was no fight with Bhumi. The makers are simply letting the story lead forward organically in the second season.”