Upon learning the hit series “Bridgerton” cast actresses of South Asian descent as romantic leads, other aspiring South Asian actors have felt a surge of hope for their futures in the industry (via the BBC). Considering there is a prominent lack of South Asian representation on the small and big screens alike, Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran’s roles on the Netflix series are groundbreaking.
“When I see any person of colour on screen, especially if they are South Asian, it lights something up in me because you just don’t see it,” 19-year-old Pakistani actress Laraib Waheed told the BBC.
Though many other young South Asian actors share this sentiment, it’s important to note that there is still much work to be done in terms of diversity in film and television. “People want to escape into a fantasy and that’s what ‘Bridgerton’ does, and importantly it offers that to people of colour as well as to white people and I think that is important,” television critic Ellen E. Jones explained (via the BBC). “If you understand it in those terms, it is to be celebrated, but it’s not about racism or race, it’s not challenging any of those very embedded notions in our society.”
“I don’t think ‘Bridgerton’ is doing anything wrong and I’m glad it exists, but there’s room for so much more,” Jones concluded. Luckily, there are other shows in the rotation that are working to rectify this issue, including “Then Long Song,” “Sanditon,” and “1917” (via NBC).
