Saroo Brierley was effortlessly interacting with journalists and signing copies of his autobiography when I met him at a plush five star hotel in suburban Mumbai for an interview. He looked like an NRI, spoke like an Australian. By any stretch of imagination you wouldn’t picture him to be the child of a daily wage labourer hailing from Madhya Pradesh. Let alone guess that he successfully traced the way back to his hometown from his adopted home in Australia after being separated with his family in 1987. Lion is based on this extraordinary true story. Spending time with the 36-year-old made Lion a surreal viewing experience for me; not only because the retelling of his story comes vibrantly alive onscreen, but also because the film’s earnestness matches that of Brierley’s.
While the film may be sincere in its telling, it is not bereft of flaws. A key ‘character’ in this success story is Google Earth, played by, well, Google Earth. What could’ve been a two-hour-long advertisement for the Internet giant is condensed in one scene. The adult Saroo (Dev Patel) hears about this “new technology” from a friend. All it takes is this glimmer of possibility for him to embark on a mission to find his mother and siblings. As much as it maybe attributed it to the truth, it is too simple a trigger for such a complex character.
While Saroo dextrously uses Google Earth, director Garth Davis – who makes his feature debut with Lion – uses the earth to enhance the film. The movie is peppered with breathtaking top-angle landscape shots, reminding us that we ultimately live on a finite planet, and our placement on it forms a large part of our identity.
Immersed in these landscapes, you have the frightening image of a lost child, exposing the fragility of human life. Essayed tenderly and effortlessly by Sunny Pawar, Saroo’s close shave with speeding vehicles or malicious people will make your heart skip a beat. But it’s the moments of equanimity and maturity that make him stand out as a performer. Dev Patel, on the flipside, takes forbearance and breakdowns to extreme ends. While not constantly sniffling, he is wearing a poker face. Rooney Mara seems to be stuck in the meek character mode of Carol (2015), while playing Patel’s Indian food loving girlfriend. Essaying Patel’s mum is Nicole Kidman, who steals the show with the right amount of tears and adequate composure.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) was criticised for looking at India through an orientalist gaze. But in Lion – intentionally or unintentionally – the childlike wonder and fear of a lost five-year-old matches the creative innocence of a foreign filmmaker. Even as Saroo is shown fascinated by orange kurta-clad saadhus at the Howrah Bridge, you can almost imagine the crew going starry-eyed behind the lens.
Much like Saroo, the film is torn between two worlds and looks like it is made keeping the interval in mind. While the ‘first half’ is driven by nuanced performances and sensitive execution, the ‘second half’ dodders under the weight of expectation.
