Pallavi Sharda is an Australian actress, cultural entrepreneur and public voice whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, diplomacy and social change. What makes her singular in any room is not just what she speaks on — it is where she speaks from.
Pallavi Sharda is a classical Bharatha Natyam dancer, qualified in law and has forged a screen career across five screen markets — Bollywood, Hollywood, British television, Australian screen and French cinema. A true multi-hyphenate, she brings a perspective built from genuine lived experience at the intersection of cultures, industries and identities.
Through the lens of cultural intelligence, she threads together the particular and the universal, moving between the personal and the geopolitical with the ease of someone who has spent a lifetime navigating both. She does not argue for cultural diplomacy as a position. She is its proof of concept.
She is as comfortable in a government summit as she is in a community hall — and the people in both rooms tend to leave having heard something they didn’t expect. She has delivered keynotes and addressed forums including the Australia–India Leadership Dialogue, AsiaLink, Google, Herbert Smith Freehills, ACMI, VIVID Sydney, MIPCOM, HRAFF and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
To every engagement — whether a boardroom, a festival stage, a government forum or a community hall — Pallavi brings the same quality: deep human empathy, an unwavering sense of justice, and the ability to make complex ideas felt as well as understood.
Pallavi is a Director on the board of Screen Australia — the youngest ever appointee and the first of Indian origin. She is the founder of Bodhini Studios, and a cultural strategy consultant and advisor to organisations navigating the Australia–India corridor. She is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Melbourne, an Advanced Global Australian Award recipient for Arts, and has been recognised as one of Australia’s Most Influential Asian Australians.
WHAT PALLAVI SPEAKS ON:
01 — The Australia–India Relationship & Cultural Diplomacy
Drawing on her experience as a transnational artist and cultural strategist, Pallavi examines the role of culture as soft power in the bilateral relationship — and what investment in cultural diplomacy means for trade, policy and strategic cooperation.
02 — Screen Industry Diversity & Authentic Representation
As a board member of Screen Australia and the first actor of Indian origin to headline across Australian film and television, Pallavi speaks to the structural and creative case for diversity in the screen industry.
03 — Intercultural Narrative and Identity
How storytelling shapes identity, shifts perception and builds bridges between cultures — with particular relevance for organisations operating across cultural boundaries.
04 — Asia Literacy in Business & Public Life
05 — Women’s Empowerment, Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship
Women’s leadership, empowerment and navigating professional life as a woman of colour across industries and cultures. Uplifting the lives of women in rural India through social entrepreneurship.
WHAT PALLAVI SPEAKS ON
01 — The Australia–India Relationship & Cultural Diplomacy
Drawing on her experience as a transnational artist and cultural strategist, Pallavi examines the role of culture as soft power in the bilateral relationship — and what investment in cultural diplomacy means for trade, policy and strategic cooperation.
02 — Screen Industry Diversity & Authentic Representation
As a board member of Screen Australia and the first actor of Indian origin to headline across Australian film and television, Pallavi speaks to the structural and creative case for diversity in the screen industry.
03 — Intercultural Narrative and Identity
How storytelling shapes identity, shifts perception and builds bridges between cultures — with particular relevance for organisations operating across cultural boundaries.
04 — Asia Literacy in Business & Public Life
The practical demands of Asia literacy for Australian leaders, and the role of cultural fluency in navigating the region’s most significant relationships.
05 — Women’s Empowerment, Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship
Women’s leadership, empowerment and navigating professional life as a woman of colour across industries and cultures. Uplifting the lives of women in rural India through social entrepreneurship.
ADVOCACY & AMBASSADORSHIPS
Sustainable Fashion & Fashion Revolution
A committed advocate for sustainable fashion, Pallavi has partnered with Fashion Revolution and a range of NGOs in raising awareness of the human and environmental cost of fast fashion — the working conditions of those most vulnerable to the pressures of rapid turnover cycles, and the urgent need for a more conscious relationship between culture and clothing in the face of the climate crisis.
Dharma Life
✎ PLACEHOLDER: Two lines needed from Pallavi on nature of engagement before implementing.
Witchery White Shirt Campaign
Pallavi has served as an Ambassador for the Witchery White Shirt Campaign, raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research.
Charles Darwin Foundation — Galápagos
During an international delegation visit to the Galápagos Islands as part of an Pallavi met with former Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, the Environment Minister, and senior scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation to discuss the intersection of conservation, community and long-term ecological stewardship in one of the world’s most biodiverse and fragile ecosystems.
HRAFF — Human Rights Arts & Film Festival
World Vision —
1000 Voices for 1000 Girls
As an Ambassador for World Vision’s campaign, Pallavi joined distinguished Australian female leaders in raising awareness about modern slavery and the fast fashion industry.
Festival Ambassador for HRAFF, Australia’s leading human rights arts and film festival — championing the power of storytelling as a vehicle for human rights advocacy and social change.
E-Kutir —
Social Enterprise & Community Leadership
Pallavi has been involved with eKutir for over a decade, working alongside its mission to empower rural communities in India through sustainable entrepreneurship and grassroots innovation. This engagement reflects a long-standing belief in building from the ground up — supporting local ecosystems, enabling dignity through livelihoods, and amplifying voices that are often unheard.
Pallavi was invited to speak on a panel at the Take Her Lead Foundation fundraiser, founded by former international cricketer and broadcaster Isa Guha to empower women and girls through sport. Appearing alongside recently retired Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, Pallavi brought together the threads of storytelling, sport and South Asian representation in Australian public life — drawing on her work developing the Lisa Sthalekar biopic at Bodhini Studios, which tells the story of an Indian-heritage woman who became one of Australia’s greatest cricketers.
TAKE HER LEAD FOUNDATION —
Women, Sport & Cultural Representation
KEYNOTES & PUBLIC CONVERSATION
ABC Q&A — towards
India–Australia community coherence
Pallavi appeared as a panellist on the ABC’s Q&A, addressing the India–Australia bilateral relationship before a national audience — speaking to the role of culture, community and people-to-people links in strengthening the relationship between the two nations.
ACMI —
Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion
At ACMI’s Goddess Exhibition Pallavi contributed to a program alongside the legendary Geena Davis, exploring the intersection of mythology, representation and contemporary cultural identity — and the enduring power of storytelling in shaping how women are seen on screen and in culture.
Pallavi contributed to “Goddess: Fierce Women on Film”— a personal meditation on screen archetypes, the female body as site of power, and what it costs to survive the industries built around it.
“Behind the lens, the human forms of Indian cinema’s feminine archetypes were far from their puritanical, unscathed projections. They were war-ravaged battle beasts.” - Pallavi Sharda, The Bombay Veil, published by ACMI
Pallavi was invited alongside a panel of leading entrepreneurs in Asian markets to speak on the experience of women navigating capital finance in Asia — examining structural barriers, the power of representation, and the intersection of gender, culture and professional identity, while emphasising the superpower of feminine thinking in the case for investment and raising capital.
Herbert Smith Freehills —
On Women in Capital Finance in Asia
MIPCOM —
A Case for On-Screen Representation
Representing the ABC, and speaking as a practitioner at the world’s leading television market, Pallavi distilled the cultural and audience impact of her on-screen characters — addressing how representation in global screen content shapes identity, reaches diaspora communities and builds bridges between markets.
VIVID SYDNEY —
In Conversation
At VIVID Sydney’s Ideas program - one of Australia’s most prominent public festivals of ideas at the intersection of creativity, culture and innovation - Pallavi delivered about the value of great storybuilding towards the enhancement of Australian a cultural life.
Australia–India Leadership Dialogue:
On Culture & Geopolitics
Pallavi was invited to speak at the Australia India Leadership Dialogue, a high-level forum comprising thought leaders and key stakeholders in the bilateral relationship. She addressed the power of culture and technology as connective tissue between the two nations — drawing on her experience as a transnational artist to highlight cultural diplomacy as soft power, and the need for investment in this area to support the broader policy and strategic cooperation aims set out in the ECTA trade agreement and the DFAT India Economic Strategy to 2035.
KEYNOTE — Google HQ:
Intercultural Expertise in Corporate Structures
AsiaLink:
Asia Literacy for Australian Leaders
A C-suite keynote delivered to Google’s leadership team in Los Angeles on the delivery of intercultural expertise within corporate structures — drawing on Pallavi’s experience navigating five screen markets and her ongoing work advising organisations across the Australia–India corridor.
Pallavi addressed AsiaLink’s audience on the practical demands of Asia literacy — exploring what genuine cultural fluency means for Australian business leaders and institutions, and the role that storytelling plays in building the foundations for meaningful exchange.
“THE WORD ‘DIVERSITY’ STILL SERVES TO ‘OTHER’ PEOPLE. IT STILL CREATES AN ‘US’ AND ‘THEM’ IN THE NARRATIVE OF HOW WE CONCEIVE OF OURSELVES AS A COMMUNITY.” - Pallavi Sharda. VOGUE
“THE WORD ‘DIVERSITY’ STILL SERVES TO ‘OTHER’ PEOPLE. IT STILL CREATES AN ‘US’ AND ‘THEM’ IN THE NARRATIVE OF HOW WE CONCEIVE OF OURSELVES AS A COMMUNITY.” - Pallavi Sharda. VOGUE
‘I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BEING A WOMAN IN INDIA OR A BROWN WOMAN IN THE WORLD’ - Pallavi Sharda IMPERFECTS
‘I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BEING A WOMAN IN INDIA OR A BROWN WOMAN IN THE WORLD’ - Pallavi Sharda IMPERFECTS
WE ALL BELONG IN THE CINEMA TOGETHER. CINEMA IS GLOBAL. — Pallavi Sharda
WE ALL BELONG IN THE CINEMA TOGETHER. CINEMA IS GLOBAL. — Pallavi Sharda
Australia–India Leadership Dialogue · Google · AsiaLink · ABC Q&A · Herbert Smith Freehills · ACMI · VIVID Sydney · MIPCOM · HRAFF · OzFest · MIFF · ASRC · E-Kutir · Take Her Lead Foundation · Sony ESPN
Australia–India Leadership Dialogue · Google · AsiaLink · ABC Q&A · Herbert Smith Freehills · ACMI · VIVID Sydney · MIPCOM · HRAFF · OzFest · MIFF · ASRC · E-Kutir · Take Her Lead Foundation · Sony ESPN
MODERATOR & HOST
Sony ESPN —
IPL Coverage
Pallavi has served as a host for Sony ESPN’s coverage of the Indian Premier League — one of the world’s most watched sporting competitions — bringing her cultural fluency and on-screen authority to the intersection of sport, entertainment and the India–Australia relationship.
In Conversation with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen
Pallavi interviewed Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen on community, integration and the role of government in supporting multicultural life — a wide-ranging conversation on belonging, policy and what it means to build an inclusive Victoria.
Q&A with Senator Nick McKim - Behrouz Boochani film screening
Pallavi hosted a public Q&A with Greens Senator Nick McKim following a screening of the story of Behrouz Boochani. The conversation addressed Australia’s asylum seeker policy, the power of storytelling as advocacy, and the human cost of systemic injustice.
WATCH PALLAVI IN CONVERSATION
India Now — with Marc Fennell
Pallavi joins Marc Fennell and Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra to examine the many Indias, Bollywood as a vehicle for soft power in international diplomacy and and what cultural storytelling means for the Australia–India relationship.
One Plus One with Courtney Act
In conversation with Courtney Act, Pallavi peels back the layers of her double life — and what it means to finally feel grounded as an artist on home soil.
The Imperfects - “WHERE WE BELONG”
Pallavi opens up about identity, belonging, cultural navigation and a career move which meant choosing between racism and misogyny— a masterclass in vulnerability, humour and permission to take up space.
BOARD APPOINTMENT TO
SCREEN AUSTRALIA
In 2023, Pallavi made history as the youngest ever appointee—and the first of Indian origin—to the Board of Screen Australia. Her appointment wasn’t just symbolic; it marked a seismic shift in the stories we platform and the storytellers we champion. With her background spanning law, the performing arts, and grassroots advocacy, Pallavi brings an unapologetically intersectional perspective to Australia’s national screen body. Her mission? Ensuring the faces on screen—and the people behind them—reflect the full spectrum of the people watching.