Marvellous cinematic re-creation

Rating: Null/10 (22 February 2017)

As this marvellous true story has received considerable publicity even before the movie was made, I won't elaborate the background details. A simplest recap: A little boy in India. accidentally trapped in an out-of-service train, was carried a thousand miles across the Indian sub-continent. After a miraculous struggle to survive, he was adopted by an Australian couple, growing up like a native-born Australian. Twenty-five years later, gnawed by the images of his mother and brother from early childhood, he employed Google and, after painstaking search, miraculously found his native home. He returned to re-acquaint, even if not stay, with his original family.
It seems nowadays that every other movie you see is based on a true story. It is easy to forget how difficult it is to work within the innate constraints and still produce a good movie: the delicate balance between departing too much from the facts and shying away from sufficient dramatization to make it interesting. "Lion"'s success is achieved by paying exceptional attention to details and making those detail work in giving full dimensions to the characters.
The first half is carried on the little shoulders of Sunny Pawar, the little boy selected from a couple of thousands. It is not difficult for a cute little boy with an innocent smile to be disarming and have you rooting for him in no time at all. This is further helped by the image of Saroo hopping along the railroad track with older brother Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) who is twice his height (no exaggeration here), his idol of a father figure. More challenging is to portray the alertness and resourcefulness of this little boy who is lost in an entirely strange, unknown world of Calcutta. This conjures up right away images from Dickensian protagonists such as Oliver Twist in London. The parade of characters, both wicked and good, encountered along the way, are depicted with a little more depth than what would usually be expected. But in the end, it is Sunny Pawar that deserves a standing ovation. The last few short scenes in this first half do two things. First, it establishes the bonding of Saroo with John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham, Nicole Kidman), his adapted parents. As well, it introduces the second adopted son, also from India, Mantosh (later played by Divian Ladwa as the grown up), a mentally disturbed child at the opposite end of the likability spectrum.
The second half, 25 years later, provides illustrations aplenty in the aforementioned thoughtful handling of details. For example, a restaurant scene stages a celebration lunch for Saroo's (Dev Patel) going away to study hotel management. It is a serene scene of blissful harmony of the three of them until a small ripple – quite insignificant. An all-to-eager waiter comes around asking if he can clear ways the dishes. While Saroo cheerfully accedes, Sue insists that her plate be left where it is. In these tiny ripples of emotions, we get a glimpse of the completely unwavering adherence of this divinely good-natured woman to her principles. It clicks when we later discover that the couple adopted not because they could not have children, but because of their belief that in the overpopulated earth, adding more does not necessarily make a contribution, while giving a better life to someone suffering is definitely more positive.
When they get home after lunch, Saroo goes to the backyard to find Mantosh in solitude. After niceties of "sorry you weren't able to join us at lunch" Saroo sternly leaves his parting words with Mantosh, telling him to stop hurting their mother. No, the only type of physical violence Mantosh is capable of is to himself (hitting his own head, against the wall or with his own fist). But then, Sue loves both her adopted sons equally, and it is Mantosh's failure to achieve his potentials that hurts her. Mantosh's reply says a lot about the good side of this superficially repulsive figure "Why do you think I stay away from this lunch"?
Staying on tract with the true events, the movie shows how Saroo becomes more and more obsessed with images of his mother and brother remembered from his early childhood. Painstaking search through Goole Earth Engine finally brings about this near-miracle. Amidst the immense joy of reuniting of birth mother and son, there is unassuaged sadness that Guddu had already died in a traffic accident. The ending credit comes with footage of the real people, the three of them - Sue, Saroo and his birth mother – hugging. A deeply moving scene.
Kidman has been hailed by all for her heart-felt portrayal of this wonderful yet very ordinary woman. Wenham touches me not only with his quiet assurance but because I am just re-watching again my "Lord of the Rings Extended DVD" and always remember him as Faramir. Valuable, but a little wasted, is Rooney Mara playing Saroo's ever supportive and understanding girlfriend. With only a few brief scenes, Bharate makes his mark as the mentally disturbed brother. Patel has matured well into a character truly worth his salt. But if you will come away from this movie with only one face in your mind, it has to be Sunny Pawar.