Lots of diversity internationally: Actress Priyanka Bose

Actress Priyanka Bose, whose film "Lion" has bagged six nominations for the 89th Academy Awards and five nominations for the BAFTA awards, said there is a lot of diversity in terms of cinema internationally.

She credited Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone with paving the way.

Asked if "Lion" has opened doors for her to international cinema, Priyanka told reporters here: "There is a lot of diversity out there and I think I am very diverse in that sense. I think Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra paved the way for that, so I am here."

The actress said "Lion" is a special film for her.

"It will have deep resonance with everybody and... It's not about any rich versus the poor. It is just talking about lost people and one person taking a chance on that lost person. There are like thousands of lost cases in India and it's gorgeous that this brings a ray of hope," she said.

"I'm very proud of the film," She added.

But will she attend the Oscars in Los Angeles? "Well, it's there and here. we are working towards it," Priyanka said.

Priyanka believes there is no way to combat the demarcation between actors and stars.

"Yesterday (Wednesday), the India premiere was disappointing for me... the media was asking questions to the people who are not involved in the film," she said.

"The director was there, I along with the Indian cast was there but the media was talking to the red-carpet attendees, which I thought was ridiculous," said the actress.

Priyanka says there are a lot of artistes and actors in India, who don't come from the "right family" or "who are not models or beauty queens".

"We are actors and here to stay. There is a breakthrough in that in the right kind of stories," she said.

Directed by Garth Davis, "Lion" features child actor Sunny Pawar, Deepti Naval and Tanishtha Chatterjee among others.

It is based in India and Australia, and is a poignant tale of a five-year-old boy Saroo who loses his way from home far away in Kolkata, later to be adopted by an Australian family.

Around 25 years later, Saroo finds himself on a quest using Google Earth to find his way back home.

--IANS

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