I always wanted to dance in Bollywood

Miss India Australia and Bharatnatyam dancer Pallavi Sarda has two films releasing in the next two weeks: Dus Tola and Walkaway. Read on to know more about the dancer-actor.

Twenty-three-year-old Australian born, Pallavi Sarda, plays a dance teacher opposite Manoj Bajpai in

HT Image

Dus Tola

, which releases this Friday. What is interesting is also the fact that the reigning Miss India Australia, who is also a cultural ambassador for the Australian Indian community as a renowned Bharatnatyam dancer, also has a crossover film

Walkaway

that premiers in the US next Friday, October 29.

Naturally, Sarda is excited. “Both of the movies were shot sometime early this year and both of them are very close to me since they mark my debut in films. One is a commercial Bollywood movie and the other, an independent film. I never imagined they would both release at the same time,” says Sarda. The young dancer has also choreographed all her dance parts in

Dus Tola

and is glad that Bollywood helps her pay homage to the dance form.

Close to character

“I have travelled all across Australia choreographing and performing Bharatnatyam. In fact, I moved to Mumbai in September 2009 and besides acting, also set up a studio to teach the dance form,” says Sarda, whose character Geeta is a village teacher.

Walkaway

is an independent film directed by first-time director of Indian origin, Shailja Gupta. “It is a brilliant take on the Indian society and how we are as a people,” says Sarda. Post

Dus Tola

, Sarda hopes to get more roles that help her combine her love for dance and acting. She’s also acted in Anuvab Pal’s play

1-888 Dial India

.