Even before she read the script of My Melbourne, actor Arushi Sharma was thrilled by the prospect of shooting with an international cast and crew for the upcoming anthology. The four-part film, helmed by Onir, Rima Das, Arif Ali, and Kabir Khan, is set in Melbourne, Australia, and explores the themes of sexuality, race, gender, and disability.

Sharma, who stars in Ali’s Jules, says, “This was an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. When I began shooting there, I was taken aback on the first day. No one pampers the actors. You have to take care of yourself,” she says of her experience of shooting for the film that had its Asian première at the recently concluded MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Revolving around an Indian girl who migrates to Australia with her husband, and finds comfort in the company of a homeless woman named Jules, the film also benefited from inputs by Ali’s brother, Imtiaz Ali, who served as its creative director.

“The story is relevant. Many people from different ethnicities came up to me during the shoot [to share their experiences]. An African woman was moved to tears and told me, ‘This is my story. I have felt like this: working behind the scenes while nobody pays attention to what I do.’”

However, Jules was particularly special for Sharma because it brought her back under Imtiaz’s fold, a director who helmed her first two Bollywood films, Tamasha (2015), and Love Aaj Kal (2020). “The vibe we share is special. I haven’t met a filmmaker who explains the scene, character, and mood as accurately as he does.”

When Love Aaj Kal didn’t fare well, it was its director Imtiaz who helped her come to terms with its failure. “I thought I would get one offer after another because I thought the film would be a blockbuster. But, I had no work for seven months. Imtiaz sir told me, ‘People say, you are the best thing in the film. Take that feedback and move forward.’”