Pallavi Sharda

Pallavi Sharda (born 5 March 1990) is an Australian actress of Indian descent, and a classical Indian Bharathanatyam dancer. Her film credits include Oscar nominated film Lion (2016), Bollywood films Begum Jaan (2017) and Hawaizaada (2015), and comedy Australian film Save Your Legs! (2012) and Les Norton, Australian teleseries. She has worked in Hindi films like My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, Besharam, Hawaizaada, and Begum Jaan. In 2021, Sharda starred in Tom & Jerry. Her latest release is the 2022 rom-com Wedding Season with Suraj Sharma. Sharda was born in an Indian family in Perth, Western Australia to Hema Sharda, and Nalin Kant Sharda. Both her parents are IIT alumni 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 commenced her LLB and BA (Media & Communications) & Diploma in Modern Languages (French) at the University of Melbourne, at the age of 16 and graduated with honours.[citation needed] Sharda shifted base from Melbourne to Mumbai in 2010. Sharda started her Bollywood career by playing a cameo in Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan (2010). In March 2010 Sharda was crowned Miss India Australia in Sydney. 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.