This year Oscar is going to be marvelous. Dev Patel has been nominated for best-supporting actor for the film “Lion”.
If Dev Patel wins the golden lady he will be the first Indian actor to win an Oscar. In 1983, Ben Kingsley who won the best actor Oscar for “Gandhi”, is a half-Indian.
In a recent interview with British daily Telegraph, Dev Patel told “The storytelling is where you want the diversity. But we’re on the cusp of something. When you look at the African-American struggle in cinema, you’ve got these beacons like Sidney Poitier and Will Smith, and Denzel and Samuel L Jackson. Now tell me, how many Indians have gone on and won Oscars?”
The competition is pretty much tough in this category with Mahershal Ali’s “Moonlight” he would be the first Muslim actor to win the Oscar.
It won’t be an issue even if Dev Patel doesn’t get the award. India’s chances are inspirational. “Lion” is based on the real-life story of an Indian street kid who is adopted by Australians and later locates his biological mother in Madhya Pradesh. The movie is based on Saroo Brierley’s book “A Long Way Home” and is nominated in six categories, including best-supporting actress, best film, cinematography, and original music score. Patel plays Saroo while Mumbai child actor Sunny Pawar plays his younger version. The film, directed by Garth Davis, stars Nicole Kidman as his adoptive mother.
