‘I’d be shocked if Dev wasn’t nominated’

Australian filmmaker Garth Davis was certain that actor Dev Patel, 26, will bag an Oscar nomination for his film, Lion. “I would’ve been really shocked if he wasn’t nominated because Dev’s performance was really intense, and it deserves a nomination… He was quite real and honest with the portrayal,” says Davis. Patel’s portrayal of the older version of Saroo Brierley (who gets lost in Kolkata and gets adopted by an Australian couple) has won him a nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category, while the film vies for the Best Picture trophy at the upcoming 79th Academy Awards. Lion has amassed over 60 nominations across film awards, including six at the Oscars. Davis — who recently visited Mumbai for a special screening — agrees that such buzz is good for the film that’s now set for the Indian market. “It’s nice that it has been nominated for Oscars because that means more people would want to watch the film. The idea is take this extraordinary tale of this young Indian boy and his journey to as many people as possible.” However, the filmmaker isn’t keeping his fingers crossed in hope to sweep away top honours. “We wanted to be true to the story, and that was the only idea behind it. More than that, I have no control over awards, so worrying about the fact whether or not the film will win an award isn’t a good idea,” he says.

Dev Patel was quite real and honest with his performance... It was really intense, and it deserves a nomination GARTH DAVIS, FILMMAKER

PHOTO: JONATHAN ALCORN/REUTERS Garth Davis (left) with Dev Patel