Pallavi Sharda
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Pallavi Sharda (born 5 March 1992)[1] is an Australian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer of Indian background. She works in Australian, British and Indian movies and television. Sharda is known for her leading role as Asha in the 2022 Netflix romantic comedy Wedding Season[2] and for playing Prama in the Academy Award-nominated movie Lion (2016).[3]
She has appeared in Hindi movies such as My Name Is Khan (2010), Dus Tola (2010), Besharam (2013), Hawaizaada (2015) and Begum Jaan (2017). She also had roles in Australian projects including Save Your Legs! (2012), the TV dramas Pulse, Les Norton, Retrograde, The Twelve and the British Netflix series The One.
Early life
[change | change source]Sharda was born in Perth, Western Australia, to Indian parents Hema and Nalin Sharda, who are both academics.[1] She moved to Melbourne as a young child and grew up in the outer north western suburbs of the city.[4]
She won an academic scholarship to Lowther Hall in Essendon.[5] At the age of 16 she started a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications), as well as a Diploma in Modern Languages (French), at the University of Melbourne. She later finished her degrees with honours.[6]
Sharda trained for many years in Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, and also studied some Odissi dance.[7]
Career
[change | change source]Sharda moved from Melbourne to Mumbai around 2008 to try for a movie career in India.[8][9] Her first movie role was a small part in Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan, which was released in 2010. In the same year, she played Geeta, a village dance teacher, in the Hindi movie Dus Tola.
Sharda made her Australian movie debut with the cricket comedy Save Your Legs!, released in 2012.[10] She then starred opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Besharam (2013). In Hawaizaada (2015) she played a dancer in late nineteenth century Bombay, and in Begum Jaan (2017) she played Gulabo, a sex worker in rural Punjab.
In 2016, Sharda joined Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman in the movie Lion, where she played the role of Prama.[11] She later acted in the live action movie Tom & Jerry (2021).
Sharda has also done a lot of television work. She played Tanya Kalchuri in the Australian medical drama Pulse (2017). She then appeared in Beecham House, Strike Back, and the ABC comedy Retrograde (2020). In 2021, she played Megan Chapman in the British Netflix series The One. In 2022 she was part of the main cast of the Australian drama The Twelve, which led to a Logie nomination for most outstanding supporting actress for her role as juror Corrie D'Souza.[12]
Outside of drama, she has worked as a presenter. In 2016 she joined the Sony ESPN team as one of the faces of their coverage of the Indian Premier League cricket competition.[13]
In 2022, Sharda played the lead role of Asha in the Netflix romantic comedy Wedding Season, which brought her wider attention with global streaming audiences.[14]
Other work
[change | change source]Sharda won the Miss India Australia title in 2010 in Sydney.[15] In 2015 she was named Queen of Moomba, Melbourne's largest community festival, together with former cricketer Shane Warne.[16]
Sharda is involved in charity and public speaking. She has worked with the social enterprise eKutir on projects in rural India and has encouraged support for sanitation and health programs there.[17] She has spoken at events about Asia literacy in Australia, India-Australia relations and women's rights.[18]
In 2023, Sharda was appointed to the board of Screen Australia, becoming its youngest member and the first of Indian background.[19] She has also supported campaigns for World Vision Australia[20] and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation through the Witchery White Shirt campaign.[21]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 "Pallavi Sharda - Age". Pallavi Sharda Official Website. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ↑ Ravindran, Manori (5 August 2022). "'Wedding Season' star Pallavi Sharda on smashing stereotypes in Netflix rom-com". Variety. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ↑ "Pallavi Sharda on working in Oscar-nominated film Lion: I connected with my character". India Today. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ↑ Harris, Sarah. "Profile: Pallavi Sharda living Bollywood dream". Brimbank Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Pallavi Sharda - Australian South Asian Centre". 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ↑ Sharda, Pallavi (24 August 2020). "'I suddenly became visible' says Pallavi Sharda, the Australian-Indian actress of Hollywood and Bollywood fame". SBS Punjabi (Interview). Interviewed by Singh, Manpreet K. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ Banerjee, Debesh (19 October 2010). "Building on Bollywood". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ↑ "2010-03 Sydney (2) by Indian Link - Issuu". Indian Link. 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ "Building on Bollywood". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
- ↑ "Pallavi Sharda spreads her wings back home". Herald Sun. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ↑ "'Lion' to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival". FilmInk. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ↑ "The highlights from all The Twelve Logies winners". Now To Love. 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ↑ "IPL 2016: Rochelle Rao and Pallavi Sharda to anchor Extraaa Innings T20". Sportskeeda.com. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ↑ "Pallavi Sharda on bringing heart and humour to Netflix's Wedding Season". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ↑ "I always wanted to dance in Bollywood". Hindustan Times. 22 October 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ↑ Schetzer, Alana (11 February 2015). "Cricketer Shane Warne and Bollywood star Pallavi Sharda named king and queen of Moomba". The Age. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ↑ Anand, Puneet (7 December 2016). "An evening with Pallavi Sharda". Indian Link. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ "Law graduate turned Bollywood actress Pallavi Sharda addresses AALA Diwali Dinner". Indusage.com.au. 29 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ↑ Quinn, Karl (2023-07-24). "Bollywood star tapped to turbocharge Australian film and television". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ↑ "World Vision partners with notable Australian females ahead of International Day of the Girl". AdNews. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ↑ Gordon, Georgie (2024-04-20). "'Baggy jeans, a classic shirt and an oversized jacket': Pallavi Sharda's daily style". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
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