About

Demystifying cultural representation in the global film industry through each role she plays, Pallavi Sharda is a self-confessed ‘roving gypsy’ and the product of two selves; the Indian self and the Australian self. Growing up in a close-knit Indian-Australian community in Melbourne’s west, Pallavi’s early exposure to classical Indian dance and music ignited a passion for performance and fueled her Bollywood aspirations. After completing a law degree, Pallavi then embarked on a reverse-migration to India, her parent’s birth country, at the age of 21. Arriving in crowded and chaotic Mumbai with no real action plan, Pallavi threw herself into auditions and castings. Strong-willed and ambitious, she soon landed leading roles in Bollywood and joint Indian-Australian films, using her rising profile as a platform to challenge the idea of the ‘exoticized other’ and advocate for more on-screen diversity across the industry worldwide. The next iteration of Pallavi’s career would see her secure roles in major Hollywood films and mainstream television series, placing her among the first cohort of South Asian women to establish a career across four continents with regular work in Bollywood, Australia, the UK and US.