"I'm very kicked about being this Aussie who's playing a desi girl!" Pallavi Sharda exclaims excitedly.

Pallavi, who was born in Perth, Australia, and brought up in Melbourne, is seen in this week's big release, Besharam, opposite rising star Ranbir Kapoor.

She has a lot more to be kicked about.

Yash Chopra's Chandni is one of Pallavi's all-time favourite movies, and one of the earliest Hindi films she has seen.

"I never anticipated that I'd work with Rishi Kapoor someday," Pallavi gushes. "Working with Rishi and Neetu, you get to learn so much. The way they angle their face or modulate their voice... I was really lucky I had three Kapoors to learn from!"

Lamhe is her other favourite movie.

"Pallavi has watched Lamhe at least 50 times. Sridevi's name in the film was also Pallavi," says Pallavi's mum, Dr Hema Sharda, director of South Asia relations at the University of Western Australia.

Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit are Pallavi's favourite actresses, but it's Ranbir who has her attention.

"Ranbir," she says, "is very charming, and amazingly dedicated. There was never a time when he wasn't thinking about his character or asking Abhinav (Kashyap, the director) questions."