Lion actor Sunny Pawar gets royal reception on return from Oscars

Eight-year-old Lion actor Sunny Pawar, who created waves at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles with his The Lion King act, returned home to a royal welcome as he stepped out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Wednesday morning.

Accompanied by his father Dilip Pawar — a former sweeper-turned-Sunny's business manager — Sunny sat on the trolley stacked high with his luggage and was wheeled out to a large number of people cheering and waving, as a media battalion braced for an encounter with the young celebrity.

Though appearing a bit weary from a long-haul flight, Sunny was a bundle of energy, enthusiastically smiled and waved back at the people, as a couple of bouncers struggled to keep their valuable subject safe from the mobbing crowds.

Sunny Pawar's journey from Lion to Oscars 2017

Some emotional elderly family members and relatives garlanded him as he stepped out of the airport, offered him sweets and blessed the actor, who attended the star-studded awards ceremony on 26 February.

"I am very happy and enjoyed attending the Oscars ceremony," Sunny, who featured in the Oscar-nominated Hollywood film Lion, said to a mediaperson.

To another, he shot back: "I will continue to study and also pursue my acting career."

On Wednesday afternoon, Pawar made a trip to Bandra to meet Uddhav Thackeray at his residence, Matoshree.

The Class III student of Air Indian Model School, Kalina, was selected out of a nationwide talent-hunt around one-and-a-half years ago and finally cleared the auditions in Mumbai and Pune to land the plum role in Garth Davis's Lion.

Pawar will next be seen in the film Love Sonia alongside Freida Pinto and Demi Moore.

Watch video of Sunny Pawar's airport reception.