It took a whole lot of hand-wringing—and a direct appeal to Homeland Security—to get eight-year-old Sunny Pawar to the U.S. (The Indian child actor was initially denied a visa.) Now that he’s here, though, the pint-sized star of Lion is clearly having the time of his life—and injecting some much-needed unpredictability into awards season. He’s wearing adorable streetwear on the red carpet; he’s charming reporters by telling them, through his translator,
Sunny Pawer, the eight-year-old child star of Lion, seen here with co-stars Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel.
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The eight-year-old charmer is definitely this year’s answer to fun-loving Jacob Tremblay.
VanityFair.com
It took a whole lot of hand-wringing—and a direct appeal to Homeland Security—to get eight-year-old Sunny Pawar to the U.S. (The Indian child actor was initially denied a visa.) Now that he’s here, though, the pint-sized star of Lion is clearly having the time of his life—and injecting some much-needed unpredictability into awards season. He’s wearing adorable streetwear on the red carpet; he’s charming reporters by telling them, through his translator, about his favorite aspect of moviemaking (“lots of chocolate”); he’s enduring boring post-screening talkbacks by taking them as an opportunity to thumb-wrestle his co-star Dev Patel.
The buoyant child actor, looking wide-eyed in formalwear, has long been a fixture of awards season. Last year, it was Room’s Jacob Tremblay; not long before that, it was a bevy of kids from Slumdog Millionaire (who were also usually hanging out with Dev Patel). Back in the ‘70s, it was tiny Tatum O’Neal in her own tux. And who could forget when Lion distributors (The Weinstein Company) managed to out-cute even the kids by trotting out Uggie from The Artist on every possible carpet? Oscar season is, of course, about high-minded ideals and the finest in world cinema . . . but if you can woo voters with a cute kid or dog, it sure doesn’t hurt.
Need more evidence that Sunny Pawar is taking over? Here’s a brief list of all the ways Pawar has been having a ball since he hit American soil to promote Lion—and win your heart. Watch your back, Tremblay.
He rocks clashing tees with shiny space pants on the red carpet.
Behold what Pawar wore to a Lion screening (photo-above), Peter Dinklage would approve.
He plays hide-and-seek when he gets bored on the red carpet.
As a “spy” told Page Six, at the Burberry event, Pawar “seemed more excited hiding behind racks of clothes than trying [to] woo Oscar votes.” Oh, and the day after the dinner, he got to go somewhere actually fun: Universal Studios.
He loves galloping up and down a fancy set of stairs.
Pawar had a blast at the Governors Awards last month: “The night was fun,” he told USA Today. “I especially liked running up and down the steps on the red carpet.” (That time, he didn’t wear a T-shirt.)
But more than that, he loves running around New York like Kevin McCallister in Home Alone 2.
Before jetting to the left coast, Pawar went to Ellis Island; the Statue of Liberty (“my favorite,” he told US. Weekly); and the Museum of Modern Art for Lion’s N.Y.C. premiere, where, surprise, he met Bill Clinton. Once he bumps into Donald Trump in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, his work may truly be done.
