The actress, 25, is playing Edwina Sharma in the period drama’s second series, compared colour-conscious casting in the industry to ‘window dressing’, admitting she would like to see a more diverse crew when on set. She told Britain’s The Telegraph: ‘People assume my success is due to a diversity quota. I’ve even had friends say to me, “Oh you got that because you’re brown,’ and that really hurts.’
The Indian Diaspora has much to celebrate. British actress Charithra Chandran has landed a role in the hugely popular Netflix’s global hit Bridgerton’s season two. Known for her roles in the science fiction series Alex Rider, Chandran said that her friends had told her that she only bagged the role in Bridgerton ‘because she is brown’. She added that the remarks had ‘hurt’ her. The actress, 25, is playing Edwina Sharma in the period drama’s second series, compared colour-conscious casting in the industry to ‘window dressing’, admitting she would like to see a more diverse crew when on set. She told Britain’s The Telegraph: ‘People assume my success is due to a diversity quota. I’ve even had friends say to me, “Oh you got that because you’re brown,’ and that really hurts.’
Valentina Valentini, a London-based entertainment, travel, and food writer and also a Senior Contributor for Shondaland, in her story points out that though season two of Netflix’s global hit Bridgerton will focus on the complicated, rivalrous love story between Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), there will be another love story unfolding, the one between the three Sharma women: Kate, her younger sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran), and their mother, Lady Mary (Shelley Conn).
The trio arrives from India to debut Edwina on the marriage mart, and Anthony is immediately drawn to both sisters, if for very different reasons. When Kate learns that a true love match is not on Anthony’s list of priorities while Edwina desperately seeks just such a union, Kate tries everything in her power to stop the two from coming together. In doing so, however, Kate and Anthony’s connection seems undeniable — to everyone but them.
But the stakes are just as high for all the Sharma women. Lady Mary is no stranger to the marriage mart or to following her heart. Her well-to-do British family was marred by scandal when Mary fell in love and married a widow of no aristocratic standing from India who had a daughter — Kate — from his first marriage. They left for Bombay, where Edwina was born, not to return until she was ready for her debut season, when Mary is put to the societal test again and must stand up for herself and her daughters under the aristocracy’s scrutinous eye.
In getting the Sharmas ready for their debut this season, Van Dusen worked with a number of historians and consultants, as well as a diverse group of writers, all of whom had one common goal: to be as authentic as possible
While the elder Sharma daughter is technically on the marriage mart too, Kate believes she is too old to find herself a husband. Instead, she focuses all her energy on finding her younger sister a union that will be both financially and emotionally beneficial. And while Edwina might be a bit naive, she stands by her values and stays true to herself in her quest for a true love match. When she finds herself inundated with suitors, it’s Kate who stands by Edwina’s side, helping to vet the potential matches and, of course, mismatches. And together with their mother, the three women stand strong as they navigate the craziness that is the London marriage mart.
What’s new in Bridgerton season two? In bringing the family from the page to the screen, creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen actually changed the women who appear in Julia Quinn’s book on which season two is inspired, The Viscount Who Loved Me. What were the Sheffields in the book became the Sharmas on television, a natural choice for Bridgerton, a series that continues to expand the world of Regency-era London through the lens of a modern period piece.
“We want modern audiences to relate to it,” says Van Dusen. “I’ve been thrilled about the response to the Sharma family. We’re not a color-blind show — things like colour and race are very much a part of the show’s conversation, just like class and gender and sexuality are.”
In getting the Sharmas ready for their debut this season, Van Dusen worked with a number of historians and consultants, as well as a diverse group of writers, all of whom had one common goal: to be as authentic as possible. “You really see the authenticity and the details of the Sharmas’ South Asian heritage throughout the series,” Van Dusen says. “And you also see the close bond that exists in this family. I always wanted to see and do and hear things that aren’t normally seen or done or heard in your typical period pieces, and the Sharmas are very much a reflection of that.”
(Pravasi Samwad Desk with inputs from Valentina Valentini in shondaland.com)
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