{"id":1069,"date":"2015-10-31T13:11:22","date_gmt":"2015-10-31T13:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/?p=1069"},"modified":"2015-11-02T14:24:57","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T14:24:57","slug":"from-melbourne-law-graduate-to-bollywood-actress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/?p=1069","title":{"rendered":"From Melbourne law graduate to Bollywood actress."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"palavi\"<\/a>From Melbourne law graduate to Bollywood actress. Why? It was sort of always there. At Melbourne University I taught classical Indian dance and a Bollywood dance class, so I was seen around uni wearing colourful skirts. I got a position at a really great law firm and there are days that I think, \u201cAh, maybe I would have made partner by now\u201d. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

But you went to India instead? <\/b>Yes, I was a little bit burnt out from years of studying, and at the age of 20 I wanted to find my feet. I enrolled in a law bridging course in Delhi, but I couldn\u2019t do it. I just wanted to start working in Bollywood, so I flew to Mumbai. My parents worked out a few months later that I wasn\u2019t really at university in Delhi.<\/p>\n

What did they think?<\/b> Initially they were a bit hesitant; they didn\u2019t really understand how serious I was. I also didn\u2019t share too much during that time; only when I did my first film and could sense that there was some traction.<\/p>\n

What was it like to work there? <\/b>My first job was a cameo in My Name is Khan<\/i>. My debut scene was with a guy called Shah Rukh Khan, who is the Tom Cruise of India, or even bigger. It was an incredible experience when I was so young.<\/p>\n

Is it a tough challenge? <\/b>There are many hurdles you have to cross being outside an industry that is based on relationships that have been built over generations. I still find that a little bit daunting. No matter how hard I work, I\u2019ll still be someone that wasn\u2019t born into it.<\/p>\n

Would it be easier here? <\/b>The struggle is a bit different. It\u2019s harder for people of non-Caucasian origin to be cast in roles; I think we are still making baby steps towards colour-blind casting in Australia, but that\u2019s changed a lot while I\u2019ve been away in India. The fact that I\u2019m back four or five times a year is symptomatic of the fact that I really miss home.<\/p>\n

Your recent movies in India include Besharam<\/i>, an action-dance-romance with Bollywood prince Ranbir Kapoor, and Hawaizaada<\/i>. What\u2019s next? <\/b>Shambhala,<\/i> a film which is not Bollywood. So I\u2019m starting to expand my repertoire and hoping I can springboard into doing work globally. It has an Australian director, Summer Nicks. And I star in it alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers, which is really exciting.<\/p>\n

You worked with Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in Lion<\/i>, based on the true story of a boy who got lost in Calcutta, was adopted by a Hobart couple, then 25 years later found his birth family. What was that like? <\/b>It was incredible to work with them and director Garth Davis. That\u2019s what really made me think very seriously about what industry I\u2019d like to work in, because I found it very democratic to be working on a set in Australia. India is intrinsically hierarchical and that translates onto sets.<\/p>\n

Do you have many Australian fans? <\/b>I get a lot of fan mail from young girls telling me they\u2019ve been really inspired by my ability to cross over two cultures. The question of identity is something a lot of Indian Australians grapple with, so that\u2019s a nice feeling.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the long-term goal? <\/b>What I\u2019ve realised is, for all my ambition, and all my planning, this really is exhausting. I would love to eventually come back home and find a space where I\u2019m able to work and still explore the arts, explore Indian arts culture. Definitely in the next 20 years, I\u2019d love to be in a little country homestead in Victoria. Making jam!<\/p>\n

Source: The Australian\/ News Corp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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