A homecoming that swept Hollywood

In 2012, when Saroo Brierley used Google Earth to find his home half way around the world, little did he know that he’d not only be successful, but also inspire a Hollywood film — a biopic of sorts — that will make its way to the Oscars. After making global headlines about his extraordinary search for his mother five years ago, the businessman is in India to promote the biopic Lion.

Lost on a train in India at the age of five, not knowing the name of his family or village, he survived weeks on the streets of Kolkata, before being taken into an orphanage and being adopted by a couple in Australia. Despite being happy in his new family, Saroo always wondered about his origins. He spent hours staring at the map of India on his bedroom wall.  The advent of Google Earth led him to pour over satellite images of Indian towns for landmarks that he recognised. Years later, he found what he was looking for and that set him off on a journey to find his biological mother.  The real man behind the film Lion talks to us about his journey, his Bollywood dreams and the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit — hope.  

The Quest
As much as he put his investigation skills to the test, it was the aligning of celestial beings that made things happen for Saroo, he believes. “I struggle to put my experience into words. It was so emotional. 25 years is a long time to harbour any dream or emotion. The moment I met my mother, it was a huge milestone conquered! All those moments of apprehension, negativity, frustration during my search got closure when I finally looked into my mom’s eyes,” says Saroo, who has no records of his birth and hence, no idea of his age.

A Long Way Home
The film is adapted from the book A Long Way Home written by Saroo himself. “I first met my biological mother in 2012 in Khandwa and the media just went berserk. People from all over the country were congregating in Khandwa to hear this amazing story of a child who was lost and found years later. When I came back to Australia, the news just snowballed globally and many publishing companies felt that there needs to be a book written about this, because stories like this don’t come about everyday,” he recalls.

The film
With over six Academy Awards nominations in their kitty, the film has been receiving rave reviews across the globe and will be released in India on February 24. Saroo has seen the film 22-times already. “Every time I watch it, it pulls me into a zone. It’s quite emotional for me and I try hard to not tear up, but the emotions are so strong.  I was more involved in the script than anything else. I made sure that the script is right because it is an integral part of the film and I wanted the nuances to stay intact. There are variations and creative liberties, but they aren’t unbelievable. The movie has been portrayed pretty much how it was in reality.  

Dev Patel and Sunny Pawar play Saroo on-screen. “Dev has done an amazing job and worked really hard; he’s such a lovely guy. We were just like brothers throughout the screening. I think he has done an amazing job nailing the Australian accent. But then again, he is an actor and that’s his job to embody the nuances. Sunny is a funny little kid full of energy and he is teaching me a little bit of Hindi while I teach him English,” says Saroo.

Bollywood calling
For Saroo, it is an ultimate dream to have a Bollywood film made on his story. “India is going to love the film because the Indian readers and audiences were very curious when the story first broke five years ago. I hope efforts are made to turn it into a Bollywood film. The story has all the elements of a Bollywood film.” Is he much of a fan himself? “I used to have a massive collection of Bollywood DVD’s about — 200 films back when I was young. Later life got hectic and other things took over. I don’t watch a lot of Hindi films now because three hours is a long time to sit down at a stretch. I try and keep up to date with all the film stars though.” Does he have a name in mind to play him on screen? “Perhaps Shah Rukh Khan,” comes a quick reply. “He’d be perfect.”