Pallavi Sharda surreal experience

Pallavi Sharda surreal experience

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 07:29 AM IST
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Pallavi Sharda may have had a tough beginning but she has managed to finally find a foothold in the industry. The actress in conversation with Nikita Wadhwan over  Begum Jaan, her relation with Vidya Balan, and more…

After a not-so-impressive debut in a lead role opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Besharam (2013), Pallavi Sharda, who is originally from Australia, did not lose hope and is back as Gulabo in Srijit Mukherji’s Begum Jaan. But being an NRI (non residential Indian) in the industry comes with its own set of difficulties. “I have always dreamt of being an actress since I was very young. I remember packing my bags few years ago and then taking a plunge to try and make my dreams come true. It was very tough to start as I did not know anyone in this city, didn’t have any contacts in the industry, I started from scratch and now I’m here doing a film like Begum Jaan. It’s all so surreal,” she says.

Also Read: Lucky to observe Vidya Balan act: Pallavi Sharda

Always a fan

Bollywood has always been a great inspiration to us but for Pallavi it was her connect to her homeland, India. “I was so inspired by Indians films growing up in Australia. It was my way to discover my background and learn Hindi. It was difficult growing up in Australia when you have an ethnic origin and with Bollywood I could have a connection with India and it explained a lot to me about my cultural heritage. Since I am a dancer, the rhythm and the melody of songs always drew me. I wanted to be a part of the joy that the movies bring to people,” Pallavi reminisces.

In the film, Pallavi essays the role of Punjabi girl Gulabo, so Pallavi had to speak in fluent Punjabi. Keen to get the nuances of her role right and to ensure that her own Punjabi identity comes shining through, the actress absorbed the details of the language and mastered the dialect completely. “I do have a knack for language. My father is Punjabi, so I have heard him speak Punjabi to his brother and sisters many times. Moreover, my family is also from that part of Punjab from where my character Gulabo is. When you grow up in Melbourne, languages and cultural heritage is given a lot of emphasis so I knew a lot of people who have been to Punjabi school, so it wasn’t difficult but I did require help sometimes with tenses or grammar,” Pallavi says.

Into the character

Talking more about her role in the movie, Pallavi shares that her character in the movie is tormented, she has a lot of inner struggle and that is what sets her apart from the rest of the women in the brothel. “Gulabo is a tormented character actually despite her brave exterior she has a lot of inner angst and I think that was the point of difference from the other characters, due to her struggle in her life and the help she got at the brothel is what made her loyal to Begum Jaan. It was very difficult character since I had to play with many internal nuances and express a lot from the body language,” she explains.

Since Begam Jaan is a movie set in 1947 rural India, during the partition, all the actors on the sets were held to a lot scrutiny regarding their make-up. But Pallavi managed to escape the perusal as Gulabo was rather glamorous character. “My character was supposed to be the more glamorous one so I was lucky and was not subjected to this kind of check. In fact I wish that I was, but it was essential to have that “no make-up” looks because how can someone in 1947 have such kind of makeup in rural India,” she says.

Working with Vidya

Albeit just three films old, Pallavi was not intimidated working with an experienced actor like Balan. “Vidya’s character was intimidating but as a person she was completely the opposite, she was very cuddly and took everyone under her wing. I am very impressed by her generosity to share the screen with 10 other women, it just shows her confidence and humility,” she says.

Talking about the nepotism debate that has stoked fire in the industry right now, Pallavi claims that it is an advantage to have a mentor in the industry. “There are a lot of men and women in the industry today who come from outside but I think that if you have people in the industry who are a mentor to you, who act like a support system and shelter you, it is an advantage. Having said that I don’t think Alia Bhatt would be who she is today if she did not have immense talent and that I think is true for a lot of people who come from film family. I respect a lot of them, for the hard work that they put in, I worked with Ranbir Kapoor and his intention was always to work hard, do good work and obviously he is very talented otherwise he wouldn’t be the star that he is today,” Pallavi says.

While the actress perhaps hasn’t got her due in the industry here, she has some interesting plans for the future. The actress will soon be making her Hollywood TV debut. After Priyanka Chopra (Quantico and Baywatch) and Nimrat Kaur (Homeland), it will be interesting to see Pallavi Sharda strike a chord on the small screen in the West.

“I don’t think Alia Bhatt would be who she is today if she did not have immense talent and that I think is true for a lot of people who come from film family. I respect a lot of them, for the hard work that they put in, I worked with Ranbir Kapoor and his intention was always to work hard and do good work and obviously he is very talented otherwise he wouldn’t be the star that he is today”

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