British actor of Indian-origin, Dev Patel, has received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Lion'. He is up for the best actor in a supporting role at the 89th Academy Awards along with Mahershala Ali, Jeff Bridges, and Michael Shannon. "I would be lying if I say that awards are not amazing. Awards can really change someone's career. You get recognition. You might get scripts that you didn't get earlier. But I never took up a project thinking about a golden statue," Patel said.
Based on Saroo Brierley's best-selling autobiography 'A Long Way Home', 'Lion' is a true story about an Indian boy who falls asleep on a train only to wake up and realise he is miles away from home in a strange land where he does not speak the language. He ends up getting adopted by a couple in Australia, and years later, sets out to find his lost family. The movie, directed by Garth Davis, will release in India on February 24. In a refreshing change from last year's evidently "white" Oscars, this year's nominations included seven people of colour, and four out of nine picture contenders told African-American or Indian stories.
"I'm sitting here with my mouth wide open figuring out how this happened. The film has opened people to my potential. After 'Slumdog', it was really hard for me to get quality work. You think it would be easy but it is actually a struggle. I felt pigeon-holed," Patel said.
