“It was indicative of my identity.”
As we prepare ourselves for the arrival of season two of Bridgerton, some of the show’s newest stars have spoken about how the show represents South Asian culture.
At a recent press conference, Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, who play Kate and Edwina Sharma, respectively, spoke about what it meant for them to have a song from the iconic Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham included in the score.
Addressing this, and the show’s representation of South Asian culture, generally, Simone said: “I think it’s so much fun. What the show has done I think is brought a sense of joy to representing many different cultures – and this one specifically – South Asian culture.
“My intention is to bring the fun and joy part of that.”
The actress continued: “Representation and diversity on screen – it’s a very complex conversation that we’re all having all the time, and it’s an important one. For me now, I just want to bring the fun to it, and the personality and the joy. And to bring that music in such an amazing scene – we had so much fun filming. It brings a smile to my face.”
Regarding the significance of the Bollywood song, Charithra agrees.
“That movie and that song is a Bollywood staple,” she says. “Everyone’s raised with it.”
When she watched the scene and noticed the choice, she immediately called the show’s creator, Chris Van Dusen, in tears.
She said: “This literally brought tears to my eyes because it’s like a collision of both of my worlds. When you’re growing up as immigrant children sometimes it’s hard to figure out your identity and you sometimes don’t know where you belong.
“This was one of those defining moments where you go: ‘Ah, OK, I get it now. I can be both and I can do both.
“And especially that song. It’s such a family song, and it’s got great meaning behind it. So for me, it was like indicative of my identity. It was really, really special and I’m so grateful.”
Bridgerton season 2 lands on Netflix on 25 March.
