Director Ang Lee [Photo: sohu.com]

Seventeen-year-old Indian boy Suraj Sharma has been chosen by director Ang Lee to star in his 3-D film. The movie is an adaptation of Yann Martel's novel "Life of Pi", the Dongfang Daily reports.

Suraj Sharma, a student from Delhi, beat over 3,000 teenage boys competing for the role. It's been a year since Ang Lee announced his plans to put the adventure story on the big screen, but finding actors and determining the budget is a lengthy process.

According to a report by USAtoday, the investor, studio Twentieth Century Fox, has lowered the budget from the original 70 million USD to 50 million USD. However, it will still be shot in 3-D, as the director explains, "The ocean is perfect for 3-D. I think it will change the way people experience the sea."

"Life of Pi" was published in 2001. It tells a story of an Indian boy named Piscine Molitor Patel or "Pi" for short. The boy survived a shipwreck with four animals, with only a female orangutan, an injured zebra, a hungry hyena and a brooding Bengal tiger.

The film is expected to be released in 2012.

Suraj Sharma [Photo: sohu.com]