7 things you did not know about the kid in Lion

Imagine a cast headlined by Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara…all either Oscar-nominated or winners. Then imagine an eight-year-old kid from the slums of Mumbai stealing the show from them. That is the story of Sunny Pawar the little kid that plays the younger Saroo Brierley in the highly acclaimed and much nominated 2016 movie – Lion. Based on the real-life story of an Indian orphan’s search for his parents the movie is a must watch if only to catch the effervescent performance of Sunny as holds audiences in raptures for the first 40 minutes of the film. Sunny has become the toast of moviedom since Lion released. He made it to the Academy Award show as well as appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Here are a few things you should know Sunny before you catch the Indian premiere of Lion on &Privé HD on the 22nd of October. 1. Sunny Pawar had to fight off competition from over 2000 kids who auditioned for the role of the young Saroo Brierley.  2. Sunny did not speak English when the movie began filming. He bonded with his on-screen mother Nicole Kidman and on-screen father David Wenha by playing cricket with them– these scenes made it into the film.  3. Gareth Davis, the director, used sign language to make Sunny understand the dialogues and enact the scenes.  4. Sunny was originally denied a visa to attend the premiere of the movie in the USA. Producers of the film made an appeal to Homeland Security, after which the young actor and his father were allowed to go to the US.  5. Sunny appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert when he went to the US to attend the Oscar Awards.  6. Sunny was quite the hit with the glitterati at the Oscars. He is probably one of the first kids to be mobbed by the stars!  7. Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel walked down to Sunny’s seat to discuss the editing quality of ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ with him. Sunny more than held his own against the comedian! Jimmy then went on to lift Sunny to recreate the signature move from the animation film ‘Lion King’.  If you missed watching the movie when it released here in February this year, now is your chance to catch up with Sunny and his Lion-hearted performance. Lion premieres on &Privé HD on October 22nd at 1 PM and 9 PM. The channel is carving a niche with moviegoers who feel the other side of cinema by showcasing movies like Lion and earlier Arrival. So if it is serious quality cinema you are looking for head on over to &Privé HD to check out their selection of films. This is a partnered post.