Being a young girl and woman of colour born & brought up in Australia, I was brazen, bold yet often beaten down in unseen ways. It was the same for my mother in her various roles in the academic world (she’s a badass professor yo).
I chose excellence at every turn. It was the only way to be accepted – to be good at everything with which I tasked myself. And yet, when I was entering the workforce as an adolescent, the ceilings became clear. I was always the anomaly in the room; brazen, bold AND brown was too much, it was unpalatable.
When I moved to India, I was often told to keep my education quiet (the one I worked aeroplane balls to the wall for) because ‘a smart actress is a difficult one, a threatening one’. When I pushed back, I was wrist slapped and shushed. And so I did shush for a time. My spirit was dampened, my dreams felt decimated… until I found the strength to rise again.
Being back in Australia my task is simply to make sure that I can be present for others in the way that no one was present for me – in those moments when merit goes out the window and bias takes over. When the system which was never designed for our success presents one of its opaque road blocks.
I’m a work in progress, and the vicissitudes which have defined my journey thus far serve as lessons from which I’m constantly learning. I’m not special, I’m not unique… I simply belong to the courageous cohort comprised of all women world over. Each with their own story, their own struggle, their own gumption to push forth despite the different avatars of roadblocks attempting to get in their way.
Here’s to all of us… the mothers, sisters, daughters, soldiers, speakers, homemakers, doers who constantly inspire and teach me that I’m not alone, that meaningful change is around the corner because we share in a desire for it to exist. The change that will mean that we can go from constantly pushing to simply being. #internationalwomensday is for all of us, however we identify. Today and everyday I celebrate my personal womanhood, and the global sisterhood I have found and cherish on this journey.
(Ps: photo is BTS of a recent publicity shoot where I absolutely slayed)
When mama comes to town and catches her little dancer down at the beach doing her thing 🏖 💙
PS. Sometimes yoga is better when I don’t have to hear a chorus of mispronounced Naaaamaaaaastaaayysss….
….Nah, Ima a goooooo.
The smug mug of a woman who just made it through another quarantine 💜👩🏾🎤
The smug mug of a woman who just made it through another quarantine 💜👩🏾🎤
On pose et puis on rit 💃🏽
On pose et puis on rit 💃🏽
On pose et puis on rit 💃🏽
On pose et puis on rit 💃🏽
On pose et puis on rit 💃🏽
Le sac: @dior
La robe: @leolin_official
La photo: @chloepaulphoto
Merci @nacmediagroup pour une soirée enchantée!
Le sac: @dior
La robe: @leolin_official
La photo: @chloepaulphoto
Merci @nacmediagroup pour une soirée enchantée!
And this is how we Punjabi Hindustanis do it. Couldn’t have asked for a more low key yet poignant birthday moment. Cutting a cake to the tune of besura (tuneless indian) singing like I did as a child in the exact same spot with my beloved parents and Aunty Parminder and Uncle Nach! ❤️ happy birrrdddayyyyy tooo meeee! #videovideooooo #indianaustralian
Coming to the end of an epic 5 month journey… experiencing Australia in a ‘post’ covid era has been a ride. A largely sunless Sydney summer, torrential rains, flooding, an incredible group of fellow artists, the realisation that this country is still sadly segregated in so many ways, and the personal milestone of being an empowered Indian-Australian woman on screen.
It’s been a time of action, but one of immense reflection and learning about my personal boundaries in not standing for the ones that society continues to set in both overt and subtle ways. It’s a also been a time of reflection on the messaging I received through my educators, as my Australian education is something as I count as my greatest boon.
When I was 18 I was told at a drama school class that being a brown woman on Aussie screens was impossible. It’s taken a decade now of overturning that limitation.
I would like to say a big 🖕🏽to the teacher who told me so, and created a limiting belief in my adolescent self. More importantly though, a massive 🙌🏽 to the many teachers throughout school and University who thankfully taught me that the sky isn’t even a limit.
To the gobi 🥦 to my aloo 🥔, to my beautiful big sis. Happy birthday @miss_bhav! 💕😘
To the gobi 🥦 to my aloo 🥔, to my beautiful big sis. Happy birthday @miss_bhav! 💕😘
Don’t let the vintage family portrait fool you. This legend – @samneilltheprop – is the shoulder that we, as a cast, have been leaning on over the past five months. Working alongside you in #TheTwelve and witnessing your brilliance everyday has been an honour. Congratulations on your picture wrap today, Sam. Thank you! 💙
So much happiness in one evening. #gratitude
HAPPY HOLI! 💕💜
Wish I was spending one of my favourite Hindu festivals dancing and laughing as it was intended…. But instead I wish you all a bright transition into the new season and meditate upon the idea that good does and will always triumph over evil, even if the challenges right now may feel overwhelming.
Sarvaswarupe Sarveshe Sarvashakti Samanvite 🙏🏽
#happyholi #holi #holihai
Merci bien @dior 💙
Swell you later Sydney 💕 Bondi Beach
Sending love to all on the occasion of Gudi Padwa!
I lived in Maharashtra throughout the formative years of my adulthood and had the privilege of playing a ‘Marathi Mulgi’ in a very special film. Everything about this auspicious day is reminding me of how blessed I have been to witness the myriad rituals and traditions of my pan-indian heritage. May this new year bring love and light. 🙏🏽💕
Bit of movement in isolation with #UdheroNa by @anoushkashankarofficial & @aroojaftabmusic …. Yeh Ayeene Mein Chehra Mera….
Life in story land.
Arty Sharty.
In the spirit of #HOLI, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar – often coined the festival of colours – sharing the epic number Supercolliders which I was fortunate to collaborate on as a dancer, alongside by my dearest talented friend @totarajack 💗
