A starstruck Hathaway expressed her love for the actor's performance in "Slumdog" on the red carpet at the National Board of Review Awards gala in Manhattan.
Meeting Patel for the first time, Hathaway declared: "I love you in your movie so much! ... You're so beautiful in it. You broke my heart. It was gorgeous."
Patel, pleasantly surprised by Hathaway's praise, asked her for a hug.
He said: "That means so much to me. You don't understand. ... Thank you Mrs. Hathaway!"
The 26-year-old actress and ex-girlfriend of Raffaello Follieri - who's now serving a 4 1/2-year prison sentence for fraud - corrected Patel, saying: "Mrs.? Oh no. Miss, miss!"
Patel, 18, was clearly worried he'd offended Hathaway, to which she playfully responded: "No, you're not offending me - I'm just letting you know that it's 'Miss!"'
The "Slumdog" star, who portrays an orphan boy's rise to win India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," accepted his award Wednesday night for breakthrough performance by an actor. Hathaway was honored as best actress for her role in "Rachel Getting Married."
"Slumdog," set among the slums of Mumbai, topped Sunday's Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, winning four awards, including best drama and best director for Danny Boyle.
