Sunny Pawar meets President Barack Obama

Los Angeles: Indian child actor Sunny Pawar, who is getting rave reviews for his performance in "Lion," met president Barack Obama ahead of Inauguration Day.

The eight-year-old actor was accompanied by his co-star Dev Patel and scored a handshake with Obama, reported People magazine.

Lion follows Saroo Brierley, who, at five-years-old, got lost far from his hometown and was adopted by an Australian couple, played by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham. Twenty years later, he began searching for his long-lost family using Google Earth.

"It was a scary but very brave story and that really touched me," Sunny said about his role. The little star, who is a Mumbai native, said his parents are still strict about his education.

"I'm still a little kid so (my parents have) made sure that I don't go flying high. So education continues and strict discipline continues," he said.

Before his trip to the White House, Sunny clicked pictures in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr memorial.

Sunny said he wishes to watch a WWE match before leaving for India.