In 2022, Bridgerton, the racy regency drama, got here again for a second season and was simply as scandalous and engrossing as the primary. The Shondaland manufacturing made waves in its first season for that includes individuals of shade in a style that has traditionally been crammed by white actors.
In season two, the Sharma household—Kate (Simone Ashley), her youthful sister Edwina (Charithra Chandan), and their mom Mary (Shelley Conn)—added to this range in a giant manner.
Initially launched in Julia Quinn’s books because the Sheffield household, the debutantes within the Netflix collection are recast as newcomers to the ton from India, with Kate’s mission being to marry off Edwina to a superb husband.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 paid homage to Indian tradition
Bridgerton Season 2 options much more of the identical romance, froth, and scandal that made the primary season so profitable, however with a brand new twist supplied by the Sharma household and their incorporation of Indian cultural themes.
Notably, many South Asians felt “seen” for the primary time within the leisure trade after Simone Ashley was forged as Kate Sharma. Fortunately, the illustration is extra than simply the casting and final names of the characters. The Sharmas’ Indian heritage is represented all through the episodes by way of small but significant touches.
In one of the endearing references, Edwina respectfully refers to her older sister as Didi (a Hindi phrase which means “elder sister”). On the similar time, Kate calls her “Bon” (Bengali for “little sister”). The Sharma sisters name their dad “Appa,” a time period borrowed from Indian dialects, in keeping with MovieWeb.
Whereas many famous that Kate and Edwina are each very Western-sounding names, Anthony, Kate’s future husband, reveals within the collection finale that her full identify is definitely Kathani.
Edwina’s pre-wedding ceremony with Lady Mary and Kate is a conventional Indian occasion referred to as Haldi
All through the season, there are references to Indian tradition, together with the one proper earlier than Edwina and Anthony’s marriage ceremony in episode six. Whereas Edwina is preparing for her marriage ceremony, the episode opens with a string cowl of the enormously common Bollywood tune “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.”
The ladies of the Sharma family get collectively, all in yellow, to use turmeric paste to Edwina’s physique and face. In line with Netflix’s Tudum, the ritual—referred to as a Haldi ceremony—is an age-old Indian customized carried out earlier than a marriage to offer good luck to the bride and groom.
In the course of the ceremony, associates and members of the family bless the couple by smearing them with a paste product of haldi (turmeric), rosewater, and gram flour. Moreover its antibacterial and cleaning results when taken internally or used topically, haldi is believed to rid the physique of evil spirits.
Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran liked creating Edwina’s pre-wedding ceremony scene
In Miss Eloise Bridgerton’s perspective, why would one have a look at a child once they can have a look at the internal contents of a riveting novel? pic.twitter.com/6B1pgmqMok
— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) April 19, 2022
Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, who play the Sharma sisters in Bridgerton Season 2, have been vocal about how wonderful it was to come back collectively and incorporate bits of Indian tradition into the present. Chatting with Shondaland about creating Edwina’s pre-wedding ceremony scene, Ashley stated,
“The Haldi ceremony in episode six is so much fun, and it’s so beautiful. We filmed it with director Tom Verica. The set was amazing — it had very warm tones of red, orange, yellow, and it had real delicate Indian flower decorations. It was really authentic, and I love that we got to have conversations with Tom about our own personal experiences of these ceremonies or things added within that scene. Filming with Shelley and Charithra felt like family to me, for sure.”
Ashley additionally praised the third episode for the scene through which Kate makes use of coconut oil on Edwina’s hair. In line with the actor, the scene encapsulated the common expertise shared by sisters across the globe: the on a regular basis interactions that happen between siblings.