Batting on a starry wicket

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Pallavi Sharda has scored a first, and she’s all excited about it. She’s the first Indian-Australian lead actress in an Aussie film, Save Your Leg, and according to sources, she will also be playing a role in Ranbir Kapoor starrer Beshram.

Save Your Leg is an Australian film filled with comedy, cricket and Bollywood music featuring David Lyons and Brendan Cowell and was premiered at the recent Mumbai Film Festival.
Talking about her role, Pallavi says, “I play the role of Anjali, an Indian-Australian woman who has moved to Mumbai from Melbourne for a sea change and career. I think it’s a character that many Indian women will relate to as she is independent and sure of herself.”
The movie is cricket-based. So when asked how much of a cricket fan she is, she said, “I have been a huge cricket fan my whole life. Growing up in Australia meant the summers were dedicated to cricket fever, we never missed a Boxing Day test at the MCG, especially if India was touring. My brother was a very good cricketer and I would go to watch his matches every Saturday; I even picked up some skills along the way.”
The actress who has starred in films like Dus Tola and Love Breakups Zindagi, is soaking in the fun and gaiety of the festive season. “I am looking forward to visiting my extended family in Delhi and eating ghar ka khana. My parents are north Indian and ironically I eat more Indian food in Australia than I do in Mumbai. So trips to Delhi are a dose of my childhood family environment,” says Pallavi.
Talking about her inspirations, Pallavi, who trained in Bharatnatyam for over 15 years, says, “Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi are the actresses I grew up on and who made me want to act, mainly because they are such brilliant dancers. They made me believe that Bollywood is a place where I could lose myself in dance and different characters, two things that I have always loved. Madhubala and Vyjayanthimala are favourites from my father’s era.”
Pallavi likes to experiment with her roles and believes that no two characters she has played are alike.
There are many facets of Australia and its people that the actress admires. “Australians have a carefree attitude to life and are very good at self-deprecating humour, something which people here are not so used to. I think this is something that Indians could take on, as life here is very stressful. Similarly, I miss living in an egalitarian society. I hope slowly India will be able to weed out the prejudices that exist between different people,” quips the young actress.
Sharing her love for Indian attire, Pallavi says, “I have always loved wearing Indian clothes, as a little girl I loved wearing ghagras and dupattas, anything flowy with lots of colour. As I grew up I enjoyed wearing saris. I believe Indian clothes have the most flattering silhouettes for women. But I also miss winter European fashion, the sophistication of long coats, boots and scarves is something I don’t get to enjoy in Mumbai because of the climate.”
Pallavi recently completed her degrees in law, media and French from the Melbourne University and is currently settled in Mumbai.
Adding a message for aspiring Bollywood actors, she says, “If you have talent and conviction and the patience to do the hard yards, it pays off and merit is awarded. Bollywood has enough space for everyone, it is just tough to find a footing at first, but that’s no reason to give up ever!”