Pallavi Sharda (born 5 March 1992) is an Australian actress and Bharathanatyam dancer of Indian descent. She won the Miss India Australia beauty pageant in 2010. As an actress she is best known for her role in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominated film ''

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

'' (2016). She has also starred in Hindi language films '' Besharam'' (2013), '' Hawaizaada'' (2015) and '' Begum Jaan'' (2017). She starred in the Australian film '' Save Your Legs!'' (2012) and the Australian teleseries ''Les Norton'' (2019). Since 2021, Sharda has starred in '' Tom & Jerry'', ''The Twelve'' and the rom-com '' Wedding Season.''

Early life

Sharda was born in an Indian family in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia to Hema Sharda, and Nalin Kant Sharda. Both her parents are IIT alumni from

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

respectively and have PhDs in science and engineering. They migrated to Australia in the 1980s before she was born. Sharda came to Melbourne as a toddler where she grew up in the outer north-western suburbs. She went to school at Lowther Hall in Essendon where she obtained an academic scholarship and at the age of 16 commenced her LLB and BA (Media & Communications) & Diploma in Modern Languages (French) at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, graduating with honours at 21.

Career

Pallavi Sharda shifted base from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

in 2008 to follow a career in film. Sharda started her career by playing a cameo in

Karan Johar Karan Yash Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful ac ...

's '' My Name Is Khan'' (2010). In March 2010 at the age of 23, Sharda was crowned Miss India Australia in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. She next starred in the comedic-drama film, '' Dus Tola'' (2010) opposite acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee, in which she played the role of Geeta, a village dance teacher. Sharda's performance was identified as the best element of the film by ''The Times of India''. In 2011 and 2012 Sharda was the lead actress of the theatrical musical, ''Taj Express'' directed by Shruti Merchant and choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. Sharda made her Australian film debut with comedy film '' Save Your Legs'', which released on 28 February 2013. She then appeared in

Abhinav Kashyap Abhinav Singh Kashyap (born 6 September 1974) is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter, who gained recognition for directing and co-writing '' Dabangg'' (2010). Early life and education Kashyap was born in Obra, Uttar Pradesh where ...

's Bollywood film '' Besharam''. in which she portrayed a woman whose car is stolen by a petty thief. Sharda's next Bollywood venture, '' Hawaizaada'', was released worldwide on 30 January 2015. Directed by Vibhu Puri and co-starring

Ayushmann Khurrana Ayushmann Khurrana (born Nishant Khurrana; 14 September 1984) is an Indian actor and singer who works in Hindi films. Known for his portrayals of ordinary men often battling social norms, he is the recipient of several awards, including a Na ...

and

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. In a career spa ...

, the film is inspired by the true events of Shivkar Bapuji Talpade, who is believed to have flown an unmanned aircraft in 1895 Bombay. Sharda received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a courtesan dancer during the British Raj era in Mumbai. Sharda joined

Sony ESPN Sony ESPN was an Indian pay television sports channel which was a joint venture between ESPN Inc., ESPN and Sony Pictures Networks. The channel targeted the Indian subcontinent including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It was part of th ...

's team as their new face for the IPL 2016

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...

(IPL). Sharda joined

Dev Patel Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is an English actor and filmmaker. List of awards and nominations received by Dev Patel, His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe A ...

and

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

in the Hollywood film ''

'' in 2016. Her next Bollywood film, ''Begum Jaan'', released in April 2017. Sharda received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Gulabo, a sex worker in rural Punjab, at the time of Pakistan's partition from India. Sharda played a leading role in ABC Australia's medical drama ''

Pulse In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt ( palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surfac ...

,'' her performance awarded her the "Rising Star" award by the Casting Guild of Australia. she played Georgie in the ABC-TV series Les Norton. Pallavi is currently starring in '' Beecham House'', ITV's historical drama series directed by

Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Kaur Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a Kenyan-born British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme in her work showcases the trials of Indian women residing ...

and the ABC-TV comedy '' Retrograde''. In 2022 Pallavi starred in the Australian award-winning drama The Twelve opposite Sam Neil, this garnered her a Logie nomination for Most outstanding supporting actress for her portrayal of 24 year old Corrie D’souza – a head juror marred by her own story of PTSD in 2023. She also starred in the Audible original The Missed, written by Sami Shah

Advocacy

Sharda is on the board of advisers for e-Kutir, a social entrepreneurship company focused on improving the lives of Indians using the 'base of pyramid' model. Her focus areas are Sanitation and Mother and Child. Sharda is a regular keynote speaker on Asia Literacy in Australia, cross-cultural relations between India and Australia and women's empowerment in India. In 2015 she was appointed the " Queen of Moomba", Melbourne's largest community festival, alongside retired Australian cricketer

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...

. Pallavi was named on the list of forty most influential Asian Australians at the inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit. In 2023, she was appointed to the

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

board. She also partnered with World Vision Australia alongside other notable notable Australian women activists to raise her voices to empower 1,000 girls. In 2024 Pallavi became an Ambassador of th
Witchery White Shirt campaign
to help raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer Research.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharda, Pallavi Living people 1988 births Actresses from Perth, Western Australia Australian film actresses Australian people of Punjabi descent Australian people of Indian descent Actresses of Indian descent Australian expatriate actresses in India Actresses in Hindi cinema Melbourne Law School alumni 21st-century Australian actresses