Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Priyanka Bose and Nicole Kidman at Lion’s premiere; (inset) Tannishtha Chaterjee, who also stars in the film

Lion, with a full-on desi cast, picks up four Golden Globe nominations ahead of the Oscars; actors ecstatic
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 14, 2016)

On Monday, the list of contenders for the 74th Golden Globe Awards was announced. The big surprise for Indians was the Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman-starrer, Lion, with a prominent line-up of Bollywood actors, bagging four nominations in top categories — Best Film, Best Score, Best Supporting Actor (Dev) and Best Supporting Actress (Nicole). Based on the memoir, A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, the film is directed by Garth Davis and traces the story of a five-year-old boy, Saroo, who gets lost on a train. He survives alone in Kolkata, before being adopted by an Australian couple. He sets out to find his lost family 25 years later.

Dev, who plays the older Saroo, said, “I am humbled to be acknowledged in a category alongside these incredible gentlemen. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my real family back in London and in India, and for my ‘Lion’ family. My mom is going to be really happy.”

Many have attributed the film’s innocence to child-actor Sunny Pawar, who plays younger Saroo. Speaking from the US, he said, “I am elated that this was my first film and it got nominated.” Priyanka Bose, who plays Saroo’s mother, said, “It is truly deserved. Dev has delivered a stirring performance and proves how much he’s grown since Slumdog Millionaire (2008).”

Ask her if the vibe around the film is similar to that of the Oscar winner, and she adds, “Slumdog… and Lion take unique trajectories. But, I remember the excitement around it back then. We are all global actors and diversity is of utmost importance, more now than ever before. I feel fiercely patriotic.”

Tannishtha Chatterjee was surprised when we informed her about the nominations. “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the film yet. The makers had invited me to the screening at the Toronto and London Film Festivals, but I couldn’t go. At the risk of sounding ambitious, the film may be nominated in the same categories at the Oscars too. When I read the script, I knew we were making something special. Garth is able to extract fine performances from his actors. I hope we bag all awards.”

Deepti Naval, who features as an orphanage caretaker, says, “It has created a buzz in the festival and awards circuit. The film leaves you choked.”