Dev Patel’s 10 Best Films, According To Letterboxd

Dev Patel has come a long way since he first gained notoriety for portraying Anwar Kharral in the British teen dramedy series Skins. After making his film debut as the lead in the Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire, Patel has successfully juggled a career in film and television.

In 2016, Patel received widespread critical acclaim for his performance in the biographical drama Lion. Patel won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and earned an Academy Award nomination for the film. Last year, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for the whimsical period film The Personal History of David Copperfield. Needless to say, the beloved actor has quite a collection of films with excellent ratings on Letterboxd.

The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) – 3.28

In The Man Who Knew Infinity, Patel plays Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who became a pioneer in the field. The film follows Srinivasa as he goes from working menial jobs to attending Cambridge University during World War I. Jeremy Irons plays G.H. Hardy, a famous mathematician who’s impressed with his intelligence.

Hardy is one of Srinivasa’s professors at Cambridge and the two begin working together. The Man Who Knew Infinity does not gloss over the racism and prejudice Srinivasa faced in England and makes sure to tackle the tragedies of the man’s short life.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) – 3.38

John Madden’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who move to Jaipur, India to become patrons at the titular hotel. When they arrive, they find the Marigold Hotel is more dilapidated than advertised. Eventually, they embrace their new lives and the hotel’s charms.

Patel plays the young and eager hotel manager Sonny Kapoor who tries to make their stay as great as possible. His mother moved into the hotel in hopes of getting her son to pursue a better job, but Sonny has grown to love the Marigold Hotel and wants to see it succeed. The film became a sleeper hit and much of the original cast returned for the 2015 sequel, including Patel.

The Road Within (2014) – 3.38

A teen with Tourette’s Syndrome embarks on an adventure with two new friends in The Road Within. Following the recent death of his mother, Robert Sheehan’s Vincent is enrolled in a behavioral facility where he meets Patel’s Alex, a young man with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Zoë Kravitz’s Marie, who’s in recovery from anorexia.

They go on a spur-of-the-moment road trip to Santa Cruz so Vincent can scatter his mother’s ashes. The Road Within features great performances from young actors on the cusp of their stardom. Patel has a slate of upcoming films, including his directorial debut, Sheehan currently stars in The Umbrella Academy, and Kravitz will play the newest iteration of Catwoman in next year’s The Batman.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) – 3.47

For his titular role in The Personal History of David Copperfield, Patel earned the second Golden Globe nomination of his career. A fun and whimsical adaption of the classic Charles Dickens tale, the film follows David Copperfield from his childhood working in a London factory to becoming an unusually goofy and charming period drama lead. The Personal History of David Copperfield is one of the funnier movies in Patel’s filmography, and he shines as its lead.

Director Armando Iannucci uses colorblind casting throughout the film, adding some much-needed diversity to the period piece genre. With actors like Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Benedict Wong, and Gwendoline Christie in supporting roles, the film bursts at the seams with its cast’s talent. Patel’s chemistry with everyone is off the charts, his romance with Rosalind Eleazar’s Agnes incredibly electric and realistic.

Hotel Mumbai (2018) – 3.65

The 2018 thriller Hotel Mumbai focuses on the staff and guests of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during a 2008 terrorist attack. Many of the film’s characters are forced to risk their lives to keep others safe. Based on the real terrorist attack Mumbai faced on November 26, 2008, Hotel Mumbai blends action and drama to create a captivating film.

Patel plays Arjun, one of the employees of the hotel’s restaurant. Throughout the film, Arjun proves himself to be the hero of Hotel Mumbai by helping guests reach safety and standing his ground until the hotel is secured once more. When the terrorist attack ends, Arjun finally returns home to his wife and daughter and Hotel Mumbai gets its slightly happy ending.

I Lost My Body (2019) – 3.73

A French adult animated film, Patel lends his voice to the English dub of I Lost My Body. As Naoufel, the film’s protagonist, Patel portrays a young man in Paris whose severed hand escapes a lab to reunite with his body once more. Naoufel falls in love with Gabrielle, a woman he meets while delivering a pizza. Jérémy Clapin’s animated film tackles complex themes and received critical acclaim.

I Lost My Body won 2 César Awards and 3 Annie Awards. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards, losing the statuette to Toy Story 4. The film is also the first animated film to win the Nespresso Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Green Knight (2021) – 3.75

The most recent release on this list, Patel transforms into an Arthurian hero for David Lowery’s The Green Knight. An epic fantasy recently re-released for the holiday season, The Green Knight stars Patel as Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew and a Knight of the Round Table, as he embarks on a quest to face the titular Green Knight.

And while Gawain isn’t the most likable character, he’s the compelling lead of The Green Knight and one of Patel’s most complex characters. With The Green Knight, Lowery crafts an arthouse version of the surreal Arthurian myth. In the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patel is a strong lead and proves he has the talent and magnetism required to ground the fantastical film.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – 3.76

Patel’s feature film debut also marked his first leading role. In Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, he plays Jamal Malik, a teenage game show contestant who was born and raised in poverty. After answering every question right on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Jamal is accused of cheating and forced to recount his life story to the police to prove his innocence.

Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. For his performance, Patel won a Critics’ Choice Award and the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer. He also received nominations at the BAFTAs and SAG Awards.

Lion (2016) 3.83

Lion, the film that earned Patel the first Academy Award nomination of his career, is also one of his most critically acclaimed. Based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, a man who tries reuniting with his family in India after being separated from them 25 years prior. A 5-year-old Saroo goes missing after falling asleep on a train, eventually ending up in Calcutta where he lives on the streets before ending up in an orphanage.

Saroo is adopted by an Australian couple and begins living a normal life before memories of his old life begin to resurface. With help of Google Earth, he sets off to find his hometown and reunite with the mother and brother he lost 2 decades earlier. Patel won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for his role as the grown-up Saroo, and his relationship with Sunny Pawar, who played the young Saroo, was a highlight of the 2017 award season.

Only Yesterday (2016) – 3.88

First released in Japan in 1991, Studio Ghibli’s Only Yesterday finally received its English dub over two decades later. The film follows Taeko Okajima at two different stages of life as she leaves her home in Tokyo to visit family in the countryside. Over the course of her trip, she recalls memories of her childhood, and the film dances between the present and Taeko’s past as she recalls her forgotten desires.

Star Wars star Daisy Ridley voices Taeko in the English dub. Patel voices Toshio, Taeko’s brother-in-law’s second cousin, who becomes a good friend to the protagonist. He and Ridley make an excellent animated duo, playing well off each other. A charming coming-of-age animated feature, Only Yesterday is deservingly one of Patel’s best films.

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