Shondaland's BRIDGERTON (Netflix), inspired by Julia Quinn’s novels, presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frolicking country estates of "the ton." In this 2-part podcast DURBA GHOSH, Cornell professor of history and author of “Sex and Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire,” talks with The Boston Sisters about how the entrance of the Sharma Family, an Indian family from Bombay, into the ton's marriage season brings South Asian words, rituals, costuming elements, and Bollywood into the "What If" world of BRIDGERTON (Season 2).

Episode 14 (part 1) looks at casting and culture in Season 2 of the series. Professor Ghosh gives cultural insights into South Asian audiences' reception of Indian characters in Bridgerton, particularly casting darker-skinned women as Kate Sharma (Ashley Simpson) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandron), and speculates on how these casting choices could influence Indian film and television narratives.

Time Stamps

1:31 Professor Ghosh/speaker background

06:06 East India Company History

9:32 Bridgerton, Sharma Family, and British Colonial History

14:06 Marriage Plot (Bridgerton, Regency Fantasy and Historical Accuracy)

19:37 Bracelets Motif -- Indian Rituals and Cultural References in Bridgerton

28:06 Significance of Casting Dark-skinned Actresses as Sharmas

33:17 Music break point

34:52 U.S. and India Relations (and Globalization)

37:48 Globalization in Bridgerton

39:58 Love, Marriage and Social Status

46:42 Kate Sharma -- competitive woman

50:33 Bridgerton's Impact on Bombay Filmmaking

55:31 Preview: Episode 15/Part 2 BRIDGERTON 2 and the Sharmas

Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, and live events.