LION (2016)

Summary:

Lion is a profoundly moving biographical drama based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, a young Indian boy who was accidentally separated from his family at the age of five and subsequently adopted by an Australian couple. The film meticulously chronicles his harrowing journey of survival on the streets of Calcutta, his eventual adoption, and his remarkable 25-year quest to find his birth mother and village using Google Earth.

The narrative powerfully explores themes of identity, belonging, and the enduring strength of familial bonds, both biological and adoptive. It highlights the stark contrasts between two vastly different worlds Saroo inhabits and the emotional complexities of reconciling his past with his present. The film is a testament to human resilience and the modern tools that can bridge unimaginable distances and lost connections.

Keywords: Lion, 2016, Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Nicole Kidman, Biographical Drama, India, Australia, Adoption, Google Earth, True Story.

Plot:

The film opens in the rural Indian village of Khandwa in 1986, introducing a spirited five-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) and his older brother Guddu. Their family is impoverished, and the boys often help their mother by scrounging for coal or doing odd jobs. One night, Guddu tells Saroo he is going to a nearby town for work and, despite his mother's objections, Saroo insists on accompanying him. They arrive at a bustling train station, and Guddu instructs Saroo to wait on a bench while he goes to search for work. Exhausted, Saroo falls asleep. When he wakes, Guddu is nowhere to be found. Saroo, confused and scared, calls out for his brother. He spots a train on an adjacent track and, believing Guddu might be on it, climbs inside. He falls asleep again, only to awaken hours later to find the train moving rapidly, with no sign of Guddu or any familiar faces.

The train journey is long and terrifying, lasting several days and covering over a thousand miles across India. Saroo is trapped, unable to get off, and eventually arrives in the chaotic metropolis of Calcutta (now Kolkata), a city where he doesn't speak the local Bengali language. Lost and alone, he is thrust into a terrifying struggle for survival on the dangerous streets. He encounters various individuals, some kind, some predatory. He narrowly escapes a man who tries to abduct him, finding refuge among other street children. His days are filled with hunger, fear, and a constant search for safety. He learns to fend for himself, begging for food and sleeping wherever he can find a safe spot, often in abandoned structures or under bridges. The sheer scale of the city, its indifference to his plight, and the language barrier make it impossible for him to communicate his origins or find help.

Eventually, Saroo is found by a railway worker who takes him to a local police station. Unable to provide any coherent information about his family or village, he is labeled a lost child. He is then sent to a government-run orphanage, a grim and overcrowded institution where children are often mistreated. Life in the orphanage is harsh, marked by strict discipline and a lack of individual attention. Saroo, still clinging to the hope of finding his family, struggles with the unfamiliar environment. After some time, he is transferred to another facility, the Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption (ISSA), where he is identified as a candidate for international adoption. This process is slow and complex, but eventually, he is matched with an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham), from Tasmania.

Saroo's new life in Australia is a world away from his past. Sue and John are loving and supportive, providing him with a safe and nurturing home. He quickly adapts to his new surroundings, learning English and embracing Australian culture. The film beautifully portrays his childhood, showing him growing up happy and well-adjusted, forming a strong bond with his adoptive parents. A few years later, the Brierleys adopt another Indian boy, Mantosh, who struggles significantly more than Saroo with the transition, exhibiting behavioral issues and emotional difficulties. Saroo, however, thrives, seemingly putting his traumatic past behind him, though faint, fragmented memories occasionally surface.

Twenty-five years later, Saroo (Dev Patel) is a young man studying hospitality management in Melbourne. He has a close circle of friends and begins a relationship with Lucy (Rooney Mara). During a dinner with his Indian-Australian friends, a seemingly innocuous detail triggers a profound shift within him. One of his friends serves jalebis, a traditional Indian sweet, which instantly transports Saroo back to his childhood in Khandwa, particularly to the memory of his brother Guddu and their shared moments. This moment unlocks a flood of suppressed memories: the train station, his mother, his siblings, and the vibrant life he once knew. The realization that his birth family is still out there, possibly searching for him, becomes an overwhelming obsession.

The desire to find his biological family consumes Saroo. He confides in Lucy and his friends, explaining his incredible story, which they initially find hard to believe. He feels a deep sense of guilt, imagining his mother's perpetual grief and the possibility that she might still be waiting for him. He begins a painstaking and often frustrating search using Google Earth, his only clues being the fragmented visual memories of his childhood: a water tower, a specific railway crossing, a nearby river, and the general direction of the train's travel. He knows he traveled from a small, rural station to Calcutta, covering a distance of approximately 1,200 kilometers. He painstakingly draws circles on a map, representing the possible radius of his origin from Calcutta, and begins virtually scanning every railway line within that vast area, a task that seems almost impossible.

The search takes a heavy toll on Saroo. He isolates himself, spending countless hours in front of his computer screen, neglecting his studies, his friends, and his relationship with Lucy, who struggles to understand the depth of his internal struggle. His adoptive mother, Sue, senses his pain and, in a deeply emotional conversation, reveals that she always supported his search, even sharing that she had a vision of a brown-skinned child needing her, long before she met Saroo. She assures him that his quest does not diminish their love or his place in their family, offering him unwavering support and understanding.

After months of relentless searching, a breakthrough finally occurs. Saroo, zooming in on a specific area, recognizes a distinctive water tower and a railway crossing that perfectly matches his fragmented memories. He then identifies a small, rural station called "Khandwa" and, using satellite imagery, finds a cluster of houses that resemble his childhood village. The emotional intensity of this discovery is immense. With renewed hope and a sense of destiny, he books a flight to India, determined to find his past.

Upon arriving in India, Saroo travels by train and then by foot to the village he located on Google Earth. As he walks through the familiar yet changed landscape, memories resurface with startling clarity. He eventually finds his old house, now dilapidated but undeniably his home. He encounters a group of villagers who, upon hearing his story, lead him to an older woman. In a profoundly moving and silent reunion, Saroo comes face-to-face with his birth mother, Fatima. There are no words needed; their embrace speaks volumes of two decades of longing and grief finally alleviated. He also meets his sister, Shekila, and his younger brother, Kallu, who was born after Saroo's disappearance.

The reunion is bittersweet, however. Saroo learns the devastating truth about Guddu: his brother was found dead on the railway tracks the same night Saroo disappeared, likely hit by a train while searching for him. His mother never left the village, holding onto the hope that her lost son would one day return. Saroo then learns that his name, which he thought was Saroo, was actually Sheru, meaning "lion." The film concludes with Saroo introducing his adoptive mother, Sue, to his biological mother, Fatima, bridging the two worlds that shaped him. He reflects on his journey, understanding that he is not just Saroo, but Sheru, the lion who found his way home, forever grateful for both families who loved him.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Dev Patel as Saroo Brierley (Adult)
• Sunny Pawar as Saroo Brierley (Young)
• Nicole Kidman as Sue Brierley
• David Wenham as John Brierley
• Rooney Mara as Lucy

Crew:

• Director: Garth Davis
• Screenwriter: Luke Davies (based on "A Long Way Home" by Saroo Brierley)
• Producers: Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Angie Fielder
• Music: Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka
• Cinematography: Greig Fraser
• Editor: Alexandre de Franceschi

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: 25 November 2016 (United States)
• Language: English, Hindi, Bengali
• Genre: Biographical Drama
• Running Time: 118 minutes
• Accolades: Nominated for 6 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Dev Patel, Best Supporting Actress for Nicole Kidman, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score). Won 2 BAFTA Awards (Best Supporting Actor for Dev Patel, Best Adapted Screenplay).