Pallavi Sharda, actress, 27

How did Melbourne law graduate Pallavi Sharda end up starring in Indian blockbusters?

TWAM-20151031 EMBARGO FOR TWAM 31 Oct 2015 NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION Pallavi Sharda, actress Pic : Marie Nirme

From Melbourne law graduate to Bollywood actress. Why? It was sort of always there. At Melbourne University I taught classical Indian dance and a Bollywood dance class, so I was seen around uni wearing colourful skirts. I got a position at a really great law firm and there are days that I think, “Ah, maybe I would have made partner by now”.

But you went to India instead? Yes, I was a little bit burnt out from years of studying, and at the age of 20 I wanted to find my feet. I enrolled in a law bridging course in Delhi, but I couldn’t do it. I just wanted to start working in Bollywood, so I flew to Mumbai. My parents worked out a few months later that I wasn’t really at university in Delhi.

What did they think? Initially they were a bit hesitant; they didn’t really understand how serious I was. I also didn’t share too much during that time; only when I did my first film and could sense that there was some traction.

What was it like to work there? My first job was a cameo in My Name is Khan. My debut scene was with a guy called Shah Rukh Khan, who is the Tom Cruise of India, or even bigger. It was an incredible experience when I was so young.

Is it a tough challenge? There are many hurdles you have to cross being outside an industry that is based on relationships that have been built over generations. I still find that a little bit daunting. No matter how hard I work, I’ll still be someone that wasn’t born into it.

Would it be easier here? The struggle is a bit different. It’s harder for people of non-Caucasian origin to be cast in roles; I think we are still making baby steps towards colour-blind casting in Australia, but that’s changed a lot while I’ve been away in India. The fact that I’m back four or five times a year is symptomatic of the fact that I really miss home.

Your recent movies in India include Besharam, an action-dance-romance with Bollywood prince Ranbir Kapoor, and Hawaizaada. What’s next? Shambhala, a film which is not Bollywood. So I’m starting to expand my repertoire and hoping I can springboard into doing work globally. It has an Australian director, Summer Nicks. And I star in it alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers, which is really exciting.

You worked with Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in Lion, based on the true story of a boy who got lost in Calcutta, was adopted by a Hobart couple, then 25 years later found his birth family. What was that like? It was incredible to work with them and director Garth Davis. That’s what really made me think very seriously about what industry I’d like to work in, because I found it very democratic to be working on a set in Australia. India is intrinsically hierarchical and that translates onto sets.

Do you have many Australian fans? I get a lot of fan mail from young girls telling me they’ve been really inspired by my ability to cross over two cultures. The question of identity is something a lot of Indian Australians grapple with, so that’s a nice feeling.

What’s the long-term goal? What I’ve realised is, for all my ambition, and all my planning, this really is exhausting. I would love to eventually come back home and find a space where I’m able to work and still explore the arts, explore Indian arts culture. Definitely in the next 20 years, I’d love to be in a little country homestead in Victoria. Making jam!