LONDON: Dev Patel’s surprised reaction after he won the Bafta award in the best supporting actor category for “Lion” was one of the most adorable moments at the ceremony.

Patel, 26, also earned a round of applause for warmly crediting his little co-star Sunny Pawar from India as he took the podium to accept the trophy for his performance of a man, Saroo Brierley, in search of his roots in the Garth Davis-directed movie.

“Wow! that just happened. It’s just so overwhelming,” Patel said after accepting the trophy from Felicity Jones. Patel thanked his parents and his team, saying, “This is a film about family about love that transcends borders, race, color and anything. You guys are my driving force.” He got a resounding applaud as he mentioned Pawar, who plays the younger Saroo in the movie. “I’d like to thank little Sunny Pawar, who did this film with such confidence. He truly is a star. Garth Davis, an incredible director who is going to be a friend of mine for life and to my amazing team who had the insane task of trying to get this Indian dude with this noodle with wanky teeth and fluffy hair work in this really hard industry. To you guys, you are my heroes. I’m so grateful.” Patel, who rose to global stardom with his debut feature “Slumdog Millionaire”, is also nominated for an Oscar this year for “Lion” which many call his most incredible performance till date.—PTI