Can Dev Patel be the first Indian actor to win an Oscar?

New Delhi, Feb 26: The Oscars this year could be historic for India. If Dev Patel, who has been nominated for best supporting actor for the film "Lion", takes home the statuette, he will be the first true blue Indian to win an Academy Award for acting. Ben Kingsley, who won the best actor Oscar in 1983 for "Gandhi", is half-Indian.

Talking to British daily Telegraph, Patel said, "It's time an Indian won the Oscar." In fact, the last time an actor of Indian descent was nominated for an Oscar for acting was 13 years ago when Kingsley got the nod for "House of Sand and Fog".

Drawing a comparison with African-American actors, he said, "The storytelling is where you want the diversity. But we're on the cusp of something. When you look at the African-American struggle in cinema, you've got these beacons like Sidney Poitier and Will Smith, and Denzel and Samuel L Jackson. Now tell me, how many Indians have gone on and won Oscars?"

However, the competition's tough with many betting on "Moonlight's" Mahershala Ali, who could be the first Muslim to win the prize.

Even if Patel misses the big prize, India's chances are encouraging. "Lion" is based on the real-life story of an Indian street kid who is adopted by Australians and later locates his biological mother in Madhya Pradesh. The movie is based on Saroo Brierley's book "A Long Way Home" and is nominated in six categories, including best supporting actress, best film, cinematography and original music score. Patel plays Saroo while Mumbai child actor Sunny Pawar plays his younger version. The film, directed by Garth Davis, stars Nicole Kidman as his adoptive mother.