Sharon Johal is no stranger to the small screen, with audiences having watched her on Neighbours, Shantaram and reality show, The Block. Now, the lawyer-turned-actor sinks her teeth into what she says is one of her most meaningful roles yet in Season 2 of The Twelve.
As the crime drama returns to screens, this time in Western Australia, a complicated murder trial takes place through the eyes of 12 jurors and leading criminal barrister, Brett Colby. Johal plays Australian-born devout Sikh woman Parvinder Sanger, one of the jurors of the case – a character for whom the actor did two auditions.
“I did one with her wearing the turban, and one without,” Johal tells Draw Your Box. “Then I also gave an explanation and a history around why she would be wearing what she's wearing.”
What makes the character Parvinder so unique in this context, is that she’s a Khalsa woman. Khalsa refers to Sikhs who have been initiated in a special ceremony to show their commitment to the faith. Khalsa women usually wear a turban.
“It's the first Khalsa woman that's going to be portrayed as a main character on Australian television screens,” Johal says proudly.
Sharon Johal in The Twelve Season 2. Image Source: Foxtel/Binge
Johal is not Khalsa but grew up in a Sikh Punjabi family in South Australia. She recalls her parents enrolling her in a school at the foothills of the Himalayas when she was 15, where she learnt more about being Sikh.
“For eight months when I was 15 at this school, I learned how to tie a turban there. I learned the way of life and I learned the Khalsa way of life too,” she says, adding that beyond her own experience, she also did more research for the character by speaking to other women in the community.
Given the fact that it’s a first to see a Khalsa woman on an Aussie scripted drama, Johal wanted to ensure that Parvinder wasn’t going to be portrayed in a negative light. Afterall, many people of colour have historically been depicted as villains on screen.
“I do not want any negative representation of this character,” she says. “We're not at that stage where we can have a villainous person of colour without people still associating people of colour with being villains.. it's not an equal playing field yet. So, especially if this is the first time, I want it to be positive representation.
“Luckily, the character was already written that way,” Johal continues. “She's a nurse, she's a caregiver. So she's already an awesome character.”
Johal praises the show’s costume department for being open to her suggestions in order to depict this character as authentically as possible. The character dresses modestly, and while the show offered for the hair and makeup department to tie the turban, Johal says she decided to take the turban home, wash it herself and then tie it herself for filming.
“I'm like, ‘No, the character would tie it herself’,” says Johal. “And it was a whole process and journey of learning.”
Even doing additional Sikh rituals while not filming played an important role in Johal connecting to the character, while also serving as an empowering personal experience.
“It just really personally felt like a full circle moment for me – connecting to my culture and religion again back from when I was 15, because probably inevitably, that is going to be my path going forward,” she reflects.
Sharon Johal at the premiere of The Twelve Season 2. Image Source: Supplied/James Gourley
So often for women of colour in the entertainment industry, the stakes are that much higher. And when playing a monumental role like this, the pressure to do it justice is amplified. So, how does Johal feel the Khalsa community and beyond will react to Parvinder?
“[We spoke to] some Khalsas within the community of Australia and said, ‘Would you feel like this would be an accurate representation?’ And they were just so wonderful and lovely and giving the information so I could portray it properly,” says Johal.
“So I'm hoping that not only does the wider community of Australia accept this character and embrace her and there’s hopefully no backlash, but also the Punjabi Sikh Khalsa community do as well. I hope they don't think, ‘She should have been more strict with it and she should have worn the colours,’ but I'm ready for those conversations when they need to happen.”
She also believes more on-screen representation is crucial in not only normalising more diversity on-screen, but in helping other Sikhs feel seen. So, “if it helps any of these little kids or even older people in the community to feel like it's okay”, it's a reminder that it’s all worth it.
The Twelve is now streaming on BINGE and also available on Huble, Showcase and available On Demand.