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Wednesday, 8 May 2013

A leading Bollywood actor whose latest film is due out at the end of the year is one of the presenters at a symposium at The University of Western Australia to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema.

Pallarvi Sharda was raised in Perth, graduated from the University of Melbourne with degrees in Law and Media and Communications and was crowned Miss India Australia in Sydney in 2011.  Soon after moving to Mumbai, she scored a leading role with Bollywood heart-throb Ranbir Kapoor in "Besharam" ("Shameless"), to be released soon.  She also stars in the 2012 Australian production "Save Your Legs" about cricket.

The UWA symposium - which welcomes media - coincides almost exactly with the centenary of India's first full-length feature film, the silent movie "Raja Harishchandra", released on 3 May 1913 when the role of the main female character was played by a man.

Winthrop Professor Hema Sharda, one of the symposium organisers and presenters, said Indian cinema reflected the history, politics, socio-economic conditions, culture, sensibilities, dreams, fantasies, hopes and expectations of Indian people.

Strengthening cultural ties between Australia and India - and the popularity of Bollywood films in Australia - meant that the two nations were growing in understanding beyond the clichés of curry, cricket and economics, Professor Sharda said.

"We hope the symposium will help us find ways to engage and build meaningful collaborative film projects between Australia and India," she said.

Other presenters include film-makers Anupam Sharma, who produces Bollywood films in Australia, and Ana Tiwary, who has worked on a range of films from Bollywood to the National Geographic Channel; Natalie Millar, company director of Mumbai-based Motion Media Arts; and Dr Amit Sarwal, co-convenor of the symposium and the founding convenor of the Australia-India Interdisciplinary Research Network.

WHAT: Symposium Salaam Cinema:  Past, Present and Future.  Celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema.

WHERE: The University Club of Western Australia, Seminar Room 1, UWA.

WHEN: 9am - 4pm Monday, 13 May. Pallarvi Sharda will give her presentation at 12 noon.

RSVP: Winthrop Professor Hema Sharda (+61 8) 6488 3046.

Media references

Winthrop Professor Hema Sharda (Director South Asia Relations, UWA)  (+61 8)  6488 3046
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783

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