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Dev Patel Is Taking on Some of the Most Incredible Roles in Hollywood.

- Darren Ho

Director Danny Boyle had a good hunch when he cast then 18-year-old Dev Patel, a Brit with Indian roots, for the leading role in Slumdog Millionaire, which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar in 2009. Patel paid back his good fortune, and Boyle’s intuition, with a brilliant film career.

Patel currently headlines Lion, next to Nicole Kidman, an acclaimed movie that has garnered many Golden Globe nominations and is a heavy favourite at this year’s Academy Awards. It’s also in the running for numerous BAFTA awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (which is Patel) and Actress (Kidman), Cinematography and Music. It’s nearly as well regarded as La La Land and stands a good chance of winning at the upcoming ceremonies.

Lion narrates the true story of an Indian boy, Saroo (newcomer Sunny Pawar), who after getting separated from his family when he mistakenly boarded the wrong train, ends up in an orphanage in Kolkata; he’s soon after adopted by an Australian couple – the Brierleys (Kidman plays the mom) – living in Horbat, Tasmania.

Many years later, a grown-up Saroo (Patel) decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery. With the help of Google Maps, he tries to find the place from where he came, and his biological mother. The film, directed by Garth Davis (who started out as a fine artist and designer), is based on Saroo’s autobiographical novel A Long Way Home.

Most of us probably don’t recall Patel’s first role in Skins, which starred Nicholas Hoult. It was a time when he was just one of those standing outside the Leicester Square cinemas waiting to see Will Smith at the Hancock premiere.

A decade later, it’s Patel who’s walking the red carpet, with fans trying for a mug of his forehead.