Mixed Indian Representation in Netflix’s Bridgerton

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The recently new Netflix show, Bridgerton, just released its season 2 on March 25th. This show is set in the Regency Era of England. It is based on a family of 8 close siblings with the family name of “Bridgerton” and how they each find love. The first season was released in 2020 and fans had been awaiting the next season as there were some hints to south Indian representation. And those hints happened to be right. A new family had entered the regent world. A new “diamond” as the queen would say, is that season’s It Girl. This is the girl that every guy would be going for. The diamond’s name is Edwina Sharma, along with her older sister, Kathani Sharma, and mother, Mary Sharma. They were introduced as South Indians, but with every TV show, there were some mistakes. 

These three ladies really made everyone’s heads turn. Their background is from India and they really represent it through the show. But it was unclear what part of India they were from as different ethnicities started peaking through. Their last name is North Indian, but they were using phrases like “appa” for father and “bon” for sister, when “appa” is South Indian and “bon” is Bengali. The show might have tried to mix ethnicities, but Indian audiences caught it instantly.  

But with the mistakes, come the rights. When preparing for the big wedding, they performed a Haldi Ceremony. A Haldi ceremony is usually performed at most Indian weddings. It is with a turmeric paste being spread on the Bride’s skin and everyone participates in it. The show is also known for adding modern music as being played by violins or harps. But they added a song from an old Bollywood movie by the name of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. This touched so many hearts and the views went through the roof. There was also representation through the jewelry they wore– bracelets, called “Bangles,” at the wedding. It’s a tradition to wear bangles after a wedding, symbolizing health, prosperity, and luck. 

Even with the culture changes, this new season really hit the right note with so many people. It showed representation in a show that one would never expect, too. Their viewing number shot through the roof and caught the attention of so many. Indians really felt all the love they could ever feel and spread their love through social media. It was really a new change and a lovely one at that.