Sunny Pawar, the child star of The Weinstein Company’s upcoming Lion has been denied entry into the U.S. to attend its New York premiere this Friday. Pawar plays Saroo Brierley, a young Indian boy who becomes lost in Kolkata and ends up in an orphanage. 25 years later, Saroo (Dev Patel) uses Google Earth to find the family from which he was separated.
Pawar has been attempting to obtain a visa to attend both the New York and Los Angeles premieres of the film but was subsequently denied. The Weinstein Company is doing their part in trying to help get him the visa on time. President David Glasser commented,
“We believe it must be the effect of immigration paranoia. He, of course, poses absolutely no threat to anyone. We want him to be a part of the celebration of this film and his performance. We fully intend to go through the proper resources and appeal with the state department for assistance.”
Lion also stars Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara and is set to premiere on November 25th.
