''I JUST RECEIVED A CALL TO SAY THAT I'VE BEEN NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD...''

Dev Patel who is known to Indian audiences through his work in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire has won his Oscar nomination for Lion in the category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He shares with us his feelings on this much-coveted feat.

"Ok, so I just received a call to say that I've been nominated for an Academy Award... 

To be totally honest, the news hasn't made its way into my brain yet, but I'm looking at these beautiful smiling faces around me... Faces of the ones I love. And I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

What makes this moment so much more poignant is that I've just wrapped shooting another film in India. This enthralling country holds such a deep place in my heart, and it is where Saroo's journey was born.

This film would be nothing without Garth Davis. Without his love, commitment and vision this "Lion" wouldn't have been able to roar. To that extent I want to share this incredible feeling with Luke, Grieg, Jenny Kent, Iain, Angie, Emile, Sunny, Nicole, David, Rooney, Divian, Priyanka, the Brierley family as well as the Weinstein Co team.

Lion reaffirms the message that love is not dictated by the color of your skin, not by race, gender, sexuality, social status, or origin. It is a message I am proud to be spreading during these uncertain times.

This will forever be one of the most memorable experiences of my life".