Long Bio:
Pallavi Sharda grew up between Melbourne and Perth in a home filled with art, politics, and language. Her parents — both academics — encouraged intellectual rigour, but also made room for creative instinct. She trained in Bharatanatyam from a young age, wrote her own school plays, and later earned three degrees from the University of Melbourne in Law, Media & Communications, and French.

Her screen career began in Mumbai, where she became the first Australian-born Indian actor to take leading roles in Bollywood films. Since then, she has worked across genres and borders — from the Hollywood feature Lion, to the Australian courtroom drama The Twelve, to Wedding Season, a South Asian rom-com that resonated globally. Pallavi’s work consistently speaks to themes of dual identity, migration, gender, and belonging.

She now serves on the board at Screen Australia. Her off-screen work includes advocacy around sustainability and artisan craft through a social enterprise in India. Whether onscreen or off, Pallavi’s work is guided by a simple belief: that the stories we tell shape the way we see each other.