|
 In fact, he says he spent most of his youth "trying to
distance myself from my culture."
That all changed after shooting five films in India. The latest
of those, "Lion," is an adoption drama about a young man
conflicted about his identity, and the film seems tailor made
for him.
"It's kind of been the most nourishing experience of my career
so far," said Patel.
Patel, 26, made his name as the star of the 2008 Oscar-winning
movie "Slumdog Millionaire." "Lion," out in U.S. movie theaters
on Thursday, is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, who
as a 5-year-old boy was separated from his family in rural India
when he accidentally boarded the wrong train.
Unable to remember his home town or his mother's name, Saroo is
placed in an orphanage, adopted by an Australian family and
taken to live in Tasmania. More than 20 years later, he uses the
Google Earth map tool to try and find his home in India.
"I could really relate to it. As someone who hadn't been to
India as a young man and tried to hide (his Indian ethnicity)
for a long time, when I went there for 'Slumdog,' it kind of
opened my mind to a whole new level of consciousness and
acceptability of who I am," Patel said.
Patel, who also appeared in the two "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
movies, said he now finds India enthralling and exciting and a
place that brings out "the innermost feelings of your soul."
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"All those preconceived notions that I had as a young boy were
broken, and it's a love affair with (India) now," he said.
In "Lion," the adult Saroo considers himself Australian, but little
moments start to jog his childhood memories of India. He becomes
obsessed with trying to find his way back home to his birth mother
and family.
The actor said he hopes the film will highlight the plight of the
thousands of street children in India.
"Stories like this can help generate a dialogue to get these kids
off the street and put them in the right homes because there are
thousands of people around the world who want to adopt children and
don't know how to," he said.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Cynthia
Osterman)
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