'He's our little mascot': Dev Patel reveals the close bond he developed with eight-year-old Sunny Pawar on the set of Lion 

By Greg Styles For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:18 EST, 15 January 2017 | Updated: 05:57 EST, 15 January 2017

Dev Patel has revealed the love he and his Lion co-stars developed for the youngest member of the cast. 

At just eight-years-old, Sunny Pawar shared the role of Saroo Brierley with the Slumdog Millionaire star in the critically-acclaimed film. 

And during in an interview published by The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, Dev told of the 'protective' feelings that he, Nicole Kidman and the rest of the cast had for the youngster. 

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Close bond: Dev Patel (R) has revealed the love he and his Lion co-stars developed for the youngest member of the cast, Sunny Pawar (L)

He said: 'He's so beautifully innocent and that's why you get such a beautiful performance from him. He's just really enjoying it.'  

After casting his net far and wide through Indian schools, the film's Australian director Garth Davis picked the Mumbai native to play the five-year-old version of Saroo. 

And in his first acting role Sunny has already won a legion of adoring fans - including Dev, who had nothing but praise for his co-star. 

Working together: At just eight-years-old, Sunny shared the role of Saroo Brierley with the Slumdog Millionaire star in the critically-acclaimed film

Chosen one: After casting his net far and wide through Indian schools, the film's Australian director Garth Davis picked the Mumbai native to play the five-year-old version of Saroo

He said: 'He's our little mascot on this movie. For him, he'd never been on a plane before or seen a Hollywood film and now he's leading this big movie.'

The pair's close bond shone through at the Golden Globes on Sunday when they took to the stage to introduce their new film.

Dev held the youngster in his arms as the dapper duo addressed the room full of Hollywood's A-list - and the 26-year-old revealed that he's had an input in Sunny's attire for the numerous events they've been attending together.  

On the mic: The pair's close bond shone through at the Golden Globes on Sunday when they took to the stage to introduce their new film

Praise: In his first acting role Sunny has already won a legion of adoring fans - including Dev, who had nothing but praise for his co-star

'I said, 'we've got to get him in a Burberry suit' so we've both been rocking with Burberry together. I just phoned [designer Jonathon Bailey] and was like, "guys, come on, we've gotta get Sunny in a suit",' he said. 

Sunny, who started work on the film when he was just six, also enjoyed a close relationship with Oscar winning actress Nicole. 

The Australian plays his adoptive mum, Sue Brierley, and the young actor told the Daily Mail that she played a motherly role to him off-screen as well. 

He said: 'She gave me a lot of love on set, like she was my own mother. She’s very affectionate and very warm. Nicole always said that I’m a natural and I should always be a natural.' 

Motherly love: Sunny, who started work on the film when he was just six, also enjoyed a close relationship with Oscar winning actress Nicole

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