London: Indian child actor Sunny Pawar says his “Lion” co-star Nicole Kidman was like a mother to him during the time they shot the critically-acclaimed movie.

The eight-year-old, who stars as Kidman’s son in “Lion”, said he also enjoyed a real-life bond with the Oscar-winning actress.

“She gave me a lot of love on the set, like she was my own mother. She’s very affectionate and very warm. Nicole always said that I’m a natural and I should always be a natural,” dailymail.co.uk quoted Sunny as saying.

While they share a passion for acting, Sunny and Kidman learned they were also both fans of a particular sport popular in their respective home countries of India and Australia.

“I played cricket to bond with Nicole Kidman,” Sunny, who began shooting the film when he was just six years old.

He added: “And, of course, I’m much better than her!”

The Mumbai native, who thought he was only taking part in an acting workshop when he was being auditioned for his role alongside thousands of children, also gave the 49-year-old screen star ‘some small lessons’ in learning how to speak Hindi.

“Lion” also features Rooney Mara and British actor of Indian descent Dev Patel, besides Indian actors Deepti Naval, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Priyanka Bose and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Releasing in India on February 24, “Lion” has been shot in Kolkata as well as in Australia.

The Garth Davis-directorial revolves around a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Kolkata, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. And 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.