When smiling 8-year-old Indian actor Sunny Pawar says xiaxia nong ("thank you" in Shanghai dialect), it strikes a chord.

One of the youngest stars at the ongoing 20th Shanghai International Film Festival, Pawar is in the Chinese city to promote his film Lion, which will be released across China on Thursday.

The Australian film released in the United States in November 2016 and in Australia in January has won more than 30 film awards and nearly 70 nominations, including for the Oscars and Golden Globes.