by Dov Kornits
Exciting Indian-born, Australian-raised talent-on-the-rise Saksham Sharma is a young man of many gifts, and he’s well and truly making the most of them. Sharma emigrated to Australia from India with his family when he was just a young child, and shuttled through twelve schools while growing up in Sydney and Melbourne. Sharma had trouble fitting in at school, and dabbled with an interesting pastime as a means to make new friends. “I didn’t speak English when I arrived in Australia,” Sharma says. “Magic became my first language.” Sharma honed his craft and developed a considerable bag of magic tricks, which eventually led the aspiring magician to an appearance on the talent show Australia’s Got Talent, which in turn led to Sharma building a YouTube channel with 5.7 million subscribers, and to creating content that now has over 4 billion views.
Also a keen actor and creator, Sharma starred in the 2021 short Writing Time and in a few episodes of the TV soap Home And Away before Screen Australia funded his original online mystery series Unknown Filter, which went viral globally. That project took Sharma to LA, where he trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. After scoring a supporting role in the superb Australian-Indian drama Sahela, Saksham Sharma booked his first major international project, taking on a leading role in the actioner Ice Road: Vengeance, a sequel to 2021’s The Ice Road. Sharma plays a young kidnap victim opposite the legendary Liam Neeson, who reprises his role of tough guy Mike McCann. “Liam Neeson has been my childhood action hero, so to go from watching him on screen to working alongside him was a surreal, full-circle moment,” Sharma tells FilmInk.
Can you discuss who your inspirations are in terms of performing and creating?
“I really admire what Dev Patel has done with Monkey Man. Writing and producing his own film is exactly the kind of path I want to follow as a storyteller. Dynamo was also a huge inspiration for me growing up in the magic scene. Watching him take magic to a global stage showed me how far passion and creativity can really go. And of course, Liam Neeson.”
How did you land the gig in Ice Road: Vengeance? Can you discuss the experience and the character you play? Was Liam Neeson intimidating? What did you learn from the experience?
“The audition came at such a wild time. I had literally just watched the first Ice Road film when the request to audition landed. At first, I didn’t even realise it was for a lead role. I sent in two takes, and a few months later, I found out I’d booked it. My character goes on this intense emotional arc: he’s kidnapped, he’s dealing with grief, and he’s navigating a complicated relationship with his father. There are a lot of heavy moments, but also flashes of humour and a connection with Liam Neeson’s character which I loved exploring. Working with Liam Neeson was surreal. He’s a legend, but what struck me most was how humble and generous he was. I actually did magic tricks for him between takes, which broke the ice immediately. He, in turn, shared acting tips and stories from his career. Instead of feeling intimidated, it felt like I was learning in real time from one of the greats. I asked him to be my mentor, and he was incredibly generous with his time!”
You also appear in the Australian film, Sahela. Can you speak to the difference between working on Ice Road: Vengeance and Sahela?
“They were two completely different experiences – and that’s what made them so special. Ice Road: Vengeance was this massive Hollywood action film with huge sets, big stunts, and a giant crew. Sahela, on the other hand, was an intimate, deeply personal story produced by Dev Patel. The scale was smaller, but the focus on nuance, emotion, and cultural authenticity was really powerful. I loved being able to switch gears between such different types of filmmaking.”
Did you land these gigs because of your experience and presence on YouTube?
“Building a YouTube audience of 5.7 million was like daily training for me. Every day I got to perform, tell stories, and experiment creatively. That eventually led to me producing a web series that was funded by Screen Australia, which I wrote, produced, and acted in. That project opened doors and gave me a showcase opportunity in LA. But at the end of the day, what really gets you cast is your audition and your performance. I was fortunate to train with an amazing acting teacher from The Lee Strasberg Method Acting School, and that guidance really helped me bring depth and authenticity to my work.”
Can you speak to your passion for magic, and how that informs your acting work, or vice versa?
“Magic and acting are more connected than people realise. Both are about creating wonder, telling a story, and holding an audience in the palm of your hand. When I perform magic, I’m controlling focus and emotion in real time. That instinct carries over into acting: knowing when to hold back, when to surprise, and how to connect authentically. And the reverse is true too – acting has made my magic more layered because I think about character and storytelling in a deeper way.”
What does your family think of your creative pursuits?
“They’ve been my biggest supporters from day one. My mum always dreamed of becoming a dancer, but growing up in India, she didn’t have the opportunity to follow that path. Because of that, she’s always hoped to see her dreams come to life through her children. When we migrated to Australia, both my parents worked incredibly hard to build their careers from the ground up. Even through all the challenges, my mum never lost sight of her passion. When she saw that I had a love for performing, she encouraged it wholeheartedly. She believed in me, pushed me forward, and made sure I had the support she never did.”
Would you consider moving to the US or India to pursue your creative dreams?
“I’ve been to LA and Mumbai, and both cities were bursting with cinematic energy. My vision is to fuse Hollywood, Bollywood, and the beauty of Australia to create global stories with heart. Filmmaking lets me travel the world and tell stories that connect people everywhere. That’s what I live for.”
What’s next for you?
“Next up, I’m working on a brand-new live show, Magical Madness – a nationwide theatre tour launching next year! Alongside that, I’ll also be diving into an exciting new feature film…details to be revealed soon!”
Ice Road: Vengeance will stream on Prime Video from 3 September 2025
