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Oscar 2017: Mahershala Ali becomes first Muslim actor to win an Academy award, defeating Indian origin Dev Patel

Dev Patel loses the Oscar to Mahershala Ali

It’s the Oscar night and Los Angeles is dazzling with stars and celebrities who have gathered here to celebrate and honour the great works of cinema that ruled 2016. While people around the globe are holding their breath to see which movie takes home the Oscar for Best Picture (La La Land or Moonlight), India was betting on the English actor of Indian descent– Dev Patel, who had been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Lion. However, the actor lost the award to Mahershala Ali, who made history by becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar for his role in Moonlight.

The 43-year-old played the character of a drug dealer named Juan in Moonlight and received critical acclaim for his portrayal. Ali not only won the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards but also African-Amercian Film Critics Association (AAFCA) among others.

Dev Patel (Photo: Twitter)

Patel arrived at the Oscars dressed in a white jacket hand in hand with a very special lady. The Lion star brought his mother Anita Patel as his date at the Oscars and the duo looked just adorable.

Patel bringing his mother to the Oscars as his date is not sweet but also nostalgic given the character he plays in Lion. For those of you who don’t know, Patel plays the character of Saroo Brierley, who gets separated from his family as a child and one fine day finds himself in the crowded streets of Calcutta. Months later, he moves to Tasmania as he is adopted by an Australian couple Sue Brierley (played by Nicole Kidman) and John Brierley (played by David Wenham). As Saroo grows up, he uses Google Maps to find his way back to his mother.