Harrow boy Dev Patel has become the first Indian-origin actor to win a BAFTA Award as the Best Supporting Actor on Sunday for his performance in 'Lion', a film about an Indian boy, which also got the Best Adapted Screenplay honour. He was joined backstage by his family, who cheered for his new earned accolade.
The 26-year-old had wooed his audience with his happy go lucky teenage character in Slumdog Millionaire, the movie that went on to win many Oscars in 2008. That role was followed by many other films like Chappie (2015) and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), where Patel still appeared as the 'boy next door' – lean, clean shaved, with a youngish or geeky charm. However, he completely upped his glamour for the film Lion, where he underwent visible physical transformations. He doubled the size of his teenage self – thanks to an eight-month daily gym regime – and his hair, a luxuriant mane which looks just about the right length.
Growing up years
Born on April 23, 1990, Patel started his acting career with the British drama Skins. In 2010, he appeared in the fantasy film The Last Airbender, his portrayal of Neal Sampat on the HBO television series The Newsroom (2012–2014) earned him a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2015, Patel also starred as the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan in the biopic The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Dev was born to Anita and father, Raj. His parents are of Gujarati Hindu background and both of them were born in Nairobi, Kenya. They came to England separately in their teens, and only met in London. Patel grew up in Rayners Lane and attended Longfields Middle School. He had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the school's production of Twelfth Night. Patel was given the Best Actor award for his performance. He later attended Whitmore High School, receiving an A* in GCSE Drama, for his “self-penned portrayal of a child in the Beslan school siege”.
His drama teacher Niamh Wright has reportedly said: “Dev was a gifted student who quickly impressed me with his innate ability to communicate a wide variety of characters imaginatively and creatively. He was awarded full marks for his GCSE performance to a live audience and the visiting examiner was moved to tears by his honest portrayal.” He completed his AS Levels in PE, Biology, History and Drama in 2007 at Whitmore High School, while he was working in Skins.
Patel as a child was apparently supremely energetic and therefore used to get into trouble at school. He started training at the Rayners Lane Academy of Taekwon-do in 2000 to channelise his energy. He competed regularly in both national and international championships, including the 2004 AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association) World Championships in Dublin, where he won a bronze medal.
Acting career
In 2006, Patel began his acting career when he auditioned for the E4 teen drama television series Skins. Patel's mother saw the casting ad in a newspaper and took him to the audition even though he had a science exam the next day. After two auditions, he was cast in the role of Anwar Kharral, a British Pakistani Muslim teenager. The characterisation of Anwar was partly based on Patel's personality and the role was written specifically for him after he was cast in Skins. Patel, who had no professional acting experience, said that on “the first day of shooting I didn't really know what to do”.
The first series of the show was aired in January 2007 and went on to win the Rose d'Or for Drama in 2008 and receive a nomination for Best Drama Series at the 2008 BAFTA Television Awards. Patel reprised his role as Anwar for the second series of Skins, which was aired in February 2008. The second series of Skins won the Philips Audience Award at the 2009 BAFTA Television Awards.
Patel made his feature film debut when he was cast in the role of Jamal Malik, the central character in Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire – an Indian Muslim boy born and brought up in the poverty of Mumbai, India. Boyle considered hundreds of young male actors, but found that Bollywood leads were generally “strong, handsome hero-types”, not the personality he was looking for. Boyle's 17-year-old daughter Caitlin pointed him to Skins.
After five auditions for the role, the actor was eventually cast in August 2007. The film's producer found the original choice for the lead role, Ruslaan Mumtaz, too good looking for the role. Boyle had reportedly said, “I wanted a guy who didn't look like a potential hero; I wanted him to earn that in the film.” To prepare for the role, Patel went along with Boyle while scouting for filming locations, where he was able to observe the Dharavi slums for himself. He also worked at a call centre for a day and in a hotel, where he washed dishes.
After the success of the film, Patel went on to date his on screen heroine Freida Pinto, 32, for 6 years, even calling her his “soulmate” – but they broke up in 2014. He is currently single, but reportedly 'too busy to date'.
Embracing his Indian roots
Though by heart a local British boy, discussing about his decision to move to the US, in an interview with Mirror, Patel said,: “I feel like I don’t just belong in one place any more. I’d describe myself as a global citizen. London was where I was born and I love the place.
“But also much of the time I have spent in India for movies, and revisiting my heritage has helped me grow as a man. Then there is America, land of opportunity.”
He also opened up about the difficulty he faced embracing his cultural heritage as an Indian-origin boy in London while growing up in the UK. Speaking to Radio Times, Patel said, “I didn't fully embrace my culture when I was at school because I wanted to fit in and not get bullied” referring to his school days, reported the Mirror.
“It was only when I went to India with Slumdog that I started to appreciate the country. I was educated out of all those preconceived stereotypes about my culture,” he added.
Patel is seen alongside Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and many others in Garth David's 'Lion', which is in theatres now.
Patel on Trump
Dev was recently found to have criticised Trump's immigration policies. In a Hollywood.com interview, he reportedly asked, “What are we doing walking these red carpets when people can’t even walk out of an airport?”
The actor said he is distraught people were being turned away from the US purely because of their religion, just as he is being accepted in Hollywood for his culture.
“I’m at a moment in my career that I’ve worked really hard for, where I’ve been accepted for my culture, for my uniqueness,” he explained. “I’ve been pushing so hard to be embraced, and it has finally happened. While outside, in the real world, there are people being turned away from these shores and being thrown back into the conflict zones. So you’re constantly thinking, What does this even matter?”
Patel credited 'Lion' for being especially poignant in the ongoing political battle over the Muslim ban.
“Without giving (Lion) too much importance – because it’s not going to cure anything – if it’s going to be a salve or provide some relief or hope, then that is amazing because all we’re doing is trying to entertain and enlighten.
“A film like this, particularly, feels quite poignant right now because it’s about a love that transcends continents. It’s about a love that transcends race, ethnicity, religion,” he added.
