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Dubai: Lion star Dev Patel spoke to Reuters this week about his views on politics, genre-sizing in the film industry and his next film project.
Patel was nominated for this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Lion, a film about an Indian boy adopted by an Australian and searching for his long-lost family.
Patel was speaking at the Chivas Icons Awards in Dubai, where he was honoured for his #Lionheart campaign, which helps underprivileged children in India and elsewhere.
Here are excerpts from his interview with Reuters:
Q: We are seeing countries around the world closing their borders, what do you think about this?
A: Well, I am a product of immigration. So if you ask me about immigration, integration, or freedom of internal travel, I am very much in favor of that…
There are divisive voices, there are divisive voices, there are negative voices. But through our art and through films like Lion and so many other films this year — like Moonlight — we can break down these barriers of prejudice.
Q: You’ve spoken before about your dissatisfaction with being typecast. How big of an issue is this for you?
A: That’s what actors like me need to constantly try and defend, you know, playing ourselves…
I’m really proud to represent diverse films, to breathe life into diverse stories, and to give people like me a voice on screen.”
Q: What was your motivation for launching the #Lionheart campaign?
A: Every year, 80,000 children go missing from the streets of India, and there are about 11 million street children in total. What we are doing is bringing one of those stories to life.
Q: Your next film is about the Mumbai terror attacks. Are you worried about how it will be received?
A: That story particularly affected me because at the end of Slumdog Millionaire, we’re dancing on this train platform… and during those attacks, you know, a gunman walked into that station and fired an AK47 (assault rifle) into hundreds of travelers…
So when we talk about making a story, a film, I really want to be a part of it, breathe life into it, and make sure it’s done with a level of humanity and sincerity.
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