Briderton season 2 released on March 25 on Netflix and you need to binge-watch it stat if you haven’t already. The second instalment has brought back another saucy Regency-era love story and this time, it revolves around Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathon Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Correction—it actually revolves around a love triangle including Anthony, Kate and her little sister, Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran).
Not going to lie, while Bridgerton 2 was all things regal and sophisticated, it reminded us of our quintessential Bollywood movies. From ‘farz-comes-before-pyaar’ to ‘arranged-marriage-with-the-adarsh-bahu,‘ the show had all those elements that would classify it as a hit Hindi rom-com. Honestly, that’s one strong reason why the series has become a major hit globally. And, we have writer Geetika Lizardi to thank for the same.
The writer brought the Sharma family of Bridgerton season 2 to life and no, it wouldn’t have been possible without her. As someone who always loved Jane Austen and the Regency era, Geetika, a South Asian woman, wanted to be a part of this magical world. She made it happen by making the Sharmas, a family of Indian descent, the central part of the plot. The writer wanted to see someone like herself as the protagonist of the show and expressed her desire to Bridgerton’s showrunner, Chris Van Dusen. He immediately got on board with the idea of expanding the series’s “multihued, multiethnic, colorful world” and we’re so glad.
It’s refreshing to see South Asian culture, Indian culture to be precise, represented so beautifully and authentically on a show of such a grand scale. Geetika is the one writer who’s changing the face of scriptwriting in Hollywood, and here’s everything you need to know about her:
The Indian Roots
Geetika and her family emigrated from Chandigarh to the USA when she was two-and-a-half years old. She continued to visit India during her summer breaks and later on, spent time translating American culture for Indians and vice versa.
Exploring The Writer In Her
The scriptwriter majored in English at Stanford and worked briefly at Microsoft after acquiring an MBA. She soon realised that it wasn’t her true passion and started pursuing scriptwriting professionally. Geetika related to the characters of Jane Austen’s world and while talking about it to a leading daily, she said, “Their (protagonists’) identity rested within their marriageability. As an Indian woman, that was part of my experience too.” She wrote a biopic on Jane Austen and researched the Regency-era literature. This helped her immensely when she was approached by Shondaland to come on board for the second season of Bridgerton.
Creating The Sharma Family
Geetika shared on LinkedIn recently that she wanted to represent the Indian culture on the show as authentically as possible. She wrote, “How we portrayed India and Indian culture was of utmost importance to me and the whole writing team, so it’s been absolutely thrilling to see the South Asian community embracing the show.” She added that now the viewers want to see diversity on shows and her series has done exactly that. “A good story is a good story. Authentically representing a specific culture is the best way to make a show feel universal. And centering your story on people who exist but aren’t usually seen is a good business strategy as well as good storytelling. Moral of the story: Hire diverse talent and empower them to do their thing!”
Gen Now
Geetika is very particular about the representation of different cultures, communities and colours in the cinematic world. That is why, she launched Gen Now, a group for underrepresented film and TV writers in the YA space. It includes writers of colour, from LGBTQ+ communities and with disabilities.
Geetika Lizardi is changing the face of scriptwriting in Hollywood and representing South Asian culture in the most authentic manner.
Thank you for making us so proud, Geetika!
Featured Image: Instagram
