Child actor Sunny Pawar, best known for his performance in the Oscar-nominated film Lion, has been chosen for the Rising Star Award. The award will be presented to Sunny at the 7th Annual Asian Awards on Friday, the organisers have announced.
Sunny, who grew up in the Mumbai slums, shot to global fame with his role in the Australian drama where he worked alongside award-winning actors Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. He was cast as young Saroo Brierley in the true life drama.
Sunny's performance was praised by Hollywood celebrities like Viola Davis, Andrew Garfield, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and late night talk-show host, Jimmy Kimmel, who re-enacted a scene from The Lion King with the child star at the 89th Academy Awards.
Sunny's upcoming film Love Sonia is set to release in 2017 and features Demi Moore and Freida Pinto.
The Asian Awards prides itself on honouring people who have achieved the highest levels in their craft. We have been waiting for someone to come along whose debut fits that description in order to justify creating the ‘Rising Star’ Award. Finally, we have found that achievement in Sunny Pawar.Paul Sagoo, Founder of The Asian Awards
Sagoo said what Sunny has achieved in such a short time is remarkable.
It is a travesty that other award ceremonies overlooked his performance in the film Lion and we want to correct that.Paul Sagoo, Founder of The Asian Awards
Founded in 2010, The Asian Awards acknowledge pan-Asian success across all walks of life. Previous award winners include Shah Rukh Khan, Bruce Lee, Zayn Malik, Jack Ma, Dr Amar Bose, David Tang, Freddie Mercury, Kunal Nayyar and Ahmed Kathrada.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)