The second season of Bridgerton was accused of “whitewashing England’s colonial past”, making Indian cultural inaccuracies and including mispronunciation of certain Hindi words.
The second part of the steamy Regency drama returned to Netflix last week, and while it delighted most fans, some have called out the creators for its “homogeneous portrayal of what it means to be Indian.”
The plot follows the Sharma family – consisting of sisters Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina (Charithra Chandran) – who travel from Bombay to London in the 1820s to find younger sister Edwina as a wealthy husband.
Opinions: Bridgerton season 2 has been accused of “whitewashing England’s colonial past”, making Indian cultural inaccuracies and mispronouncing certain Hindi words (pictured is Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley)
But journalist Dhvani Solani wrote in Vice how she felt “increasingly uncomfortable” watching the series because it “painted over” the colonial backdrop.
She wrote: “The show has completely glossed over our very charged colonial past, its homogenous portrayal of what it means to be Indian, and then some exotic Indian rituals that even Indians have never heard of.”
“As the season progressed, I became more and more uncomfortable. It almost seems like a joke to paint over our colonial past.
Stars: The second part of the steamy Regency drama returned to Netflix last week, while it delighted most fans, with some calling out the creators for their “homogeneous portrayal of what it means to be Indian” (pictured is Edwina Sharma , played by Charithra Chandran).
“Well, I understand that the show is meant to be an escapist fantasy, but I also believe that it’s entirely possible to address racism and classism without having to introduce racist or classist characters or take the show’s frothy romp away.
“The show just makes a lot of hints and winks at race and class without ever acknowledging it. And for me, not coming from the winning side, this lack of recognition of our trauma and stories is a bit painful.”
Many have also pointed out on Twitter that the Sharmas (a surname more common in North and East India) lived in Bombay (in West India) but called their father “appa” (mainly used in South India).
Complaints: The author also pointed out that in one scene the Sharma women are involved in a ‘haldi’ (pictured) but an inaccuracy was made regarding the ceremony
Kate is also regularly called ‘didi’ (Hindi for ‘sister’) and spoke Hindustani (a mixture of Hindi and Urdu commonly spoken in northern India) but not Tamil or any other southern Indian language.
The author also pointed out that in one scene the Sharma women are engaged in a “haldi” – a pre-wedding ritual in which the bride or groom is brushed with turmeric paste to make them glow on their big day bring.
As Kate rubs Haldi on her younger sister Edwina’s face, she says: “Isn’t it said that when applied to an unmarried person, Haldi helps them find a worthy mate who also silences the rest of the world? ”
Here they are: The plot follows the Sharma family – consisting of sisters Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina (Charithra Chandran) – who travel from Bombay to London in the 1820s in order to find a wealthy husband for younger sister Edwina
However, the author pointed out that after contacting various experts and family members, this turned out to be not true.
The article goes on to denounce the lack of representation of what life for the Sharmas in India might have been like – portraying Kate as rude and short-tempered without explaining why.
Elsewhere it is noted that Edwina often mispronounces words, for example when she asks Anthony if he has read Ghalib.
She pronounces it as “Guhleeb,” which is uncharacteristic for someone who has lived their entire life in South Asia.
Mispronunciation: In an early scene, Edwina says she’s also a pro at playing “maruli,” a word that doesn’t exist but could refer to “murali,” meaning a flute
In an early scene, Edwina says she’s also a pro at playing “maruli,” a word that doesn’t exist but could refer to “murali,” meaning flute.
However, others have told Twitter that they loved seeing the Indian representation on a mainstream show.
It comes after Simone – who plays Kate – said last week the Regency hype’s colour-blind casting helped convince her she could star in a period drama.
The British-Indian actress – who plays headstrong Kate in the second season of the hit series – revealed she no longer pays attention to the color of her skin when looking for new roles.
Love: However, others have taken to Twitter to say they loved seeing the Indian representation on a mainstream show
“I didn’t watch historical dramas because I felt like I couldn’t identify with them, maybe because I couldn’t see myself in one,” says Simone.
‘Then Bridgerton came by.’
As millions tuned in to the first episode of the new series on streaming channel Netflix last week, fans welcomed the casting of two South Asian characters – Kate and her sister Edwina, played by Charithra.
In an interview with Glamor magazine, which is now online, Simone says that earlier in her career she used to feel typecast because of her skin colour, but that her looks are no longer a factor.
“I’ve always seen myself for my personality, not the color of my skin,” she says.
“Representation is important and there is a minority that needs more representation and I am very aware of that.”
But she adds that she “wants to be seen as an actress who has talent and who has brains, and it just doesn’t matter what I look like.”
Bridgerton’s second series stars Simone, 26, from Camberley in Surrey, alongside Jonathan Bailey, who plays series heartthrob Anthony Bridgerton.
Simone takes over the lead role from Phoebe Dynevor, who has a small role as Daphne Bridgerton on this series.
Popular: As millions tuned in to the first episode of the new series on streaming channel Netflix last week, most fans welcomed the casting of two South Asian characters – Kate and her sister Edwina, played by Charithra (pictured)