On ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2, Brownness, and the Intimacy of Cultural Tradition
In Bridgerton season 2, the most intimate and meaningful moments are between Kate and Edwina Sharma.
In this editorial, writer Vandana Pawa analyzes Bridgerton season 2 and how the impactful intimate moments between the Sharmas were inspired by cultural traditions.
In Bridgerton season 2, newcomer and season diamond Edwina Sharma calls her sister Kate “didi,” the Hindi word for “older sister,” and the only word I’ve ever called my sister since I learned to speak. The first time Edwina uttered the word on screen, casually interspersed in a conversation spoken in English, my jaw dropped. Despite being an honorific, in my experience, “didi” implies a connection that can only come from the intimacy of sisterhood. I immediately jumped up to tell my sister and my closest friends (who also had their own didi) what I had just noticed, an intimate moment in the group chat.
Elder Kate (played by Simone Ashley) reciprocated this intimacy in her own way, rubbing oil into her sister’s hair to bring comfort and home in a heartbreaking moment – an intimate act that South Asian mothers and grandmothers have shared with their children for centuries. “In moments of deep sadness and in moments of joy, you see them reverting to their culture,” says actress Charithra Chandran, who plays Edwina, in a
The Sharma family is at the heart of Bridgerton season 2, with British-Indian actresses Simone and Charithra at the helm. It’s unclear where the Sharmas originally came from in India — their surname indicates one region of the subcontinent while their language mannerisms indicate another — but they took London by storm as soon as they arrived from Bombay. Edwina entered the marriage circle and was quickly crowned “the diamond” of the season by the Queen, making her the most desirable of the city’s most eligible bachelors.
Many will argue that this is a victory for representation, but I don’t see the idea that Indian identity can be desirable — being desirable to white people is not a victory we’ve been socialized to have. believe it is—rather, it is how Kate, Edwina, and their mother express forms of intimacy that transcend romance through culturally traditional acts. These moments, which are few and far between in the larger context of this season’s story, do not define the women outright, but the joy they will receive from millions of viewers practicing similar forms of intimacy in their own cultures will be particularly meaningful.
Romantic love has long been the hegemonic ideal of intimacy. In the Western context, where the individual self and the nuclear family unit are more valued, intimacy is conceptualized as something reserved for romantic relationships. It arises from intentional self-disclosure—that is, the revealing of one’s personal feelings and thoughts to another. In contrast to Western individualistic behavior, intimacy as a byproduct of closeness within family and friends is prevalent in Eastern cultures, particularly in India. A collective history, shared memories, a perceived trust, and a sense of security; intimacy stems from all of these. When isolated from an environment that nurtures these things, as an immigrant often is, intimacy can manifest itself through cultural traditions. While not as valuable in the West, this intimacy can be like a life raft when you are thrown out to sea, as the Sharma family illustrates throughout the season.
Perhaps the most memorable example of intimacy in tradition is the Bridgerton haldi ceremony scene, where Edwina Sharma is preparing for her wedding. In Hindu practice, the haldi ceremony is held on the morning of the wedding day. The ceremony marks the beginning of a long series of marriage rituals and involves applying a paste made from turmeric (haldi), sandalwood and rose water to the faces, arms, hands, knees and feet of the bride and groom to bless the couple before the wedding. The bright yellow colour of the paste is considered auspicious and is believed to ward off evil spirits, and the medicinal properties of haldi are said to impart a healthy glow to the wearer in preparation for the upcoming occasion. Today, haldi ceremonies are celebratory, filled with music and pomp, with crowds of loved ones offering their well wishes to the soon-to-be-married couple.
