Actor Dev Patel, whose portrayal of Jamal in Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire put him on Hollywood’s map, is playing a similar role in Garth Davis’ Lion. Based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, the boy who got lost in India and ended up getting adopted by an Australian couple, the film stars Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, and David Wenham. The trailer, released on 25 August, is as gripping as the real story.
Dev Patel, who proved his mettle in The Man Who Knew Infinity last year, shows similar brilliance on screen in Lion‘s trailer, often making one wonder why an actor like him continues to be underrated in Hollywood.
With his Australian accent on point, Dev Patel As Saroo on screen, plays the grownup who stills dreams of his past in Calcutta. Determined to find his real family, Saroo reads up and finds stations in and around Calcutta via Google Earth to locate his real family. Heart-wrenching scenes from his past constantly flash back and forth. “Do you have any idea how everyday I hear my real brother scream my name?” says Saroo, plagued by the same visions of his brother running behind the train Saroo left in that night.
The real story of Saroo is nothing short of a miracle. Saroo Brierley was born in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. In 1986, at the age of 5, he lost all contact with his family when he was at a train station waiting for his brother. After living on the streets of Calcutta for weeks all by himself, he was then put in an orphanage where an Australian couple adopted him. He then grew up with his newly adopted parents in Hobart, Tasmania where he spent the next 25 years.
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After years of trying to track down his old town through the endless labyrinths of railways lines on Google Earth, and the image of his town as a five year old, he finally finds Khandwa. In early 2012, after arduous search and separation that spans for nearly 25 years, Saroo finally found his family. He even a wrote a book on his story – A Long Way Home: A Memoir – encapsulating his journey and the search for his family.
The film is slated for a November release this year.