Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Extraordinary Story of a Man Who Used Google Ear to Find His Bir Mr

29/11/2016

Dev Patel (as Saroo Brierley) and Priyanka Bose (as Kamla) in the film Lion.

Saroo Brierley was a small boy when he got lost. This wasnt a case of a tiny child losing his way in a crowded store or taking a wrong turn on a trail. He boarded a train that led to a journey far from his hometown in India. He exited in Calcutta, a massive city, perhaps even more immense for a five-year-old with no way of getting back home. He didnt know how to read or how to explain where he was from. He had to fend for himself on the streets before he was taken into a group home. When it appeared that no one could find his family, Brierley was adopted by a couple in Australia.

It took decades for Brierley to find the path to his old home. In fact, it took the advent of Google Earth for him to begin the search and a few years of zooming in and out of images of India to find it. When Brierley finally made his way back to his birth family, the event made headlines almost immediately. His successful search has inspired numerous news stories over the years. Brierley has talked extensively on how he used technology to embark on a search that would have seemed otherwise impossible. He also wrote a memoir, A Long Way Home. That book is the basis for the movie, Lion, starring Dev Patel as Brierley and featuring performances from Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and David Wenham. The film, which screened for the KCET Cinema Series on November 22, is now in theaters.

I read the book immediately and my heart literally jumped through my chest, screenwriter Luke Davies, who adapted the memoir for film, said to the KCET Cinema Series audience, simply because the story seemed so pure and so powerful, like a kind of mythic fable.

Sunny Pawar (as a young Saroo Bierley) in the film Lion.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSend EmailCommentPin on PinterestShare on LinkedInShare on Google+

--

--

Brierley was born into an impoverished family in India. He was the third of four children and raised in his early years by a single mother who worked grueling hours. Even at the tender age of four, Brierley had serious responsibilities. He took care of his younger sister and helped find food to eat. One night, he accompanied an older brother on a trek that took them to a train station in another town. His brother told him to wait at the station. Brierley fell asleep and, when he woke, his brother was nowhere to be found. The little boy hopped a train trying to find his sibling.

Brierley recalls the events with vague memories and intense emotional details. In A Long Way Home, he describes the realization that he was stuck on a train as at once a feeling of weakness, hyperactivity and incredulity. He adds that he doesnt remember his immediate response, but still recalls the heart-racing anxiety of being alone in a train car, looking at signs he couldnt read, ultimately calling for his brothers and his mom, but getting no response.

Sunny Pawar (as a young Saroo Bierley) in the film Lion.

In his memoir, Brierley notes that he believed he had been on the train for between 12 and 15 hours when he got lost. It wasnt until he made his way back to India as an adult that he realized that his travels lasted much longer than that. But, it wasnt just the distance that stood in the way of Brierley and his home. He didnt know his last name. He also mispronounced his first name; after reuniting with his mother, Brierley learned that she named him Sheru (which means Lion). He also mispronounced the name of his town and the town where he caught the train. Away from his family, he was on his own on the streets of a very large city. He encountered some men who offered to help him. Young Brierley was apprehensive. As an adult, he explains it as a perceived cost/benefit analysis that a child forced into a grown-up situation develops. He escaped before they could take advantage of him. Eventually, he met an older boy who took Brierley to the police. That led to a stint in a group home and then, after the authorities were unable to locate his family, placement in an orphanage. Brierley was quickly adopted by an Australian couple and moved to Hobart, Tasmania.

Brierleys adoptive parents, John and Sue, provided a good home for the young boy. Mum and Dad were very affectionate, right from the start, always giving me lots of cuddles and making me feel safe, secure, loved, and above all, wanted, he writes in A Long Way Home. That meant a lot to a child whod been lost and had experienced what it was like for no one to care about him.

Nicole Kidman (as Sue Brierley), David Wenham (as John Brierley) and Sunny Pawar (as a young Saroo Bierley) in the film Lion.

He admits that there was some internal conflict in his life. Once Brierley got to Hobart, his world changed dramatically. Where once he had to beg for food, now he had an abundance of it. But, he had endured a traumatic journey. Brierley describes his experience of settling into Australia, how a movie or a piece of music triggers emotional memories, as he struggled to explain what happened until he was able to converse in English.

Brierley ultimately adapted to Australian life. His parents kept reminders of India around him, like a map that was in his bedroom. He also maintained friendships with other children who were adopted from India. But, he identified as Australian or, as he writes, a proud Tassie (i.e., someone from Tasmania). He describes his teenage years as fairly typical: he made friends and was a bit rebellious until his grades started to suffer and his parents reprimanded him. He worked in restaurants and clubs and eventually went back to school to study hospitality management. In college, he met students from India who helped rekindle interest in his homeland. His new friends wanted to help him find his family, but the details Brierley conveyed werent immediately familiar to them.

Ni
LINK: https://www.kcet.org/kcet-cinema-series/the-true-story-behind-lion...
See more stories from kcet

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

18/10/2025

NESN Taps Harmonic for Primary Live Sports Distribution

New England Sports Network (NESN) has chosen Harmonic, working with Astound Business Solutions, as its enterprise technology partner to transform primary distri...

18/10/2025

DirecTV Launches Gray's Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network

NEW ORLEANS, La. In the run-up to the start of the NBA season, WVUE-TV and Gray Local Media have announced a deal with DirecTV that will greatly expand access t...

18/10/2025

Berklee Celebrates 40 Years of the Fall Together Concert

Berklee Celebrates 40 Years of the Fall Together Concert Faculty composers Bob Pilkington and Greg Hopkins are among the featured artists for this year's ...

17/10/2025

NEP Group Receives New Equity Investment From 26North Partners LP, Co-Investors

NEP Group Receives New Equity Investment From 26North Partners LP, Co-InvestorsCarlyle remains the largest shareholder as the company prepares for the futureBy ...

17/10/2025

Apple Lands Five-Year Deal for F1 Distribution in the U.S.

Apple Lands Five-Year Deal for F1 Distribution in the U.S.Besides airing on Apple TV, the sport will be amplified on other Apple servicesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Ed...

17/10/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Marshall Electronics' Bernie Keach on the Future of PTZ Cameras

SVG Sit-Down: Marshall Electronics' Bernie Keach on the Future of PTZ Camera...

17/10/2025

L2 Productions' REMI Facility in Austin Can Produce Content From Anywhere

L2 Productions' REMI Facility in Austin Can Produce Content From AnywhereMusic festivals, sports events are produced via flypacks and remote control roomsBy...

17/10/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sarah Dowland, the Filmmaker Behind Sue Bird: In The Clutch

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

17/10/2025

Cooper Raiff Returns to the Sundance Film Festival With His Independent Series Hal & Harper

(L-R) Christopher Meyer, Addison Timlin, Cooper Raiff, Lili Reinhart, Alyah Chan...

17/10/2025

Ferramenta de arte da capa de playlists do Spotify chega ao Brasil com uma noite de autoexpresso

M sica e arte se uniram em uma noite especial na semana passada na ZIV Gallery, ...

17/10/2025

Spotify's Custom Playlist Cover Art Tool Arrives in Brazil With a Night of Self-Expression

Music and art came together for one special night last week at ZIV Gallery, an i...

17/10/2025

Spotify and FC Barcelona Extend Partnership Through 2030

Spotify and FC Barcelona are extending our partnership through 2030, continuing a collaboration that's redefining how fans, players, and artists connect. Th...

17/10/2025

Sports Fishing Championship Deploys DigitalGlue Storage Platform

MURRIETA, Calif. The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC) has deployed DigitalGlue's creative.space storage platform to streamline video production by centrali...

17/10/2025

TV Ad Impressions for Football Spiked in Q3

BELLEVUE, Wash. Football continued to cement its reputation as a bulwark of TV advertising in Q3 2025 with new data from iSpot that showed both the NFL and coll...

17/10/2025

Reeling in the Chaos Sports Fishing Championship Simplifi...

The Sports Fishing Championship (SFC), the premier competitive saltwater fishing series, has transformed its production workflow by adopting creative.space, the...

17/10/2025

QuickLink Unveils StudioPro Version 4 With Major Enhancem...

QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, announces the release of StudioPro Version 4, ...

17/10/2025

Westcoast Pixel dazzles with dynamic 3D video projections

Although the annual Grammy Awards celebration is best known for recognizing achievements in the recording industry, the show often proves a visual spectacle as ...

17/10/2025

Alex Dunfey Promoted to CTO at OpenDrives

OpenDrives, Inc., a leading provider of software-defined data storage and data services, has promoted Alex Dunfey to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from his for...

17/10/2025

University of Arizona Scales Up Broadcast Capabilities Wi...

The University of Arizona (UofA) has significantly upgraded its broadcast communication infrastructure with the integration of Riedel Communications' advanc...

17/10/2025

NESN Redefines Regional Sports Video Delivery with Harmon...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that New England Sports Network (NESN), owned by Fenway Sports Group and Delaware North, has selected Harmonic as its en...

17/10/2025

Austin PBS Expands Facility-Wide Production Communication...

Austin PBS has recently upgraded its facility-wide communications infrastructure, deploying Clear-Com 's Eclipse HX, FreeSpeak II beltpacks, and V-Series ...

17/10/2025

ZEISS Opens BETA Registration for CinCraft Virtual Lens T...

ZEISS announces an open call for the closed BETA testing phase of CinCraft Virtual Lens Technology, the innovative digital tool that brings authentic lens chara...

17/10/2025

Lightware powers hybrid learning transformation at Centri...

Situated in the town of Kokkola, Centria University of Applied Sciences offers higher education across five core fields: engineering, business, social and healt...

17/10/2025

Pebble to automate CobbTV

Public information channel in Georgia, USA, to implement a powerful, simple, and cost-effective playout automation platform. Pebble, the leading automation, co...

17/10/2025

HBO Maxs Global Expansion Surpasses 100 Market Milestone

HBO Max is reporting that it has launched in 15 new markets, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Macau, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ukraine, boosting the streaming serv...

17/10/2025

Netflix Expands Into Video Podcasts With Spotify Deal

Netflix said it will make a major push into video podcasts, inking a wide-ranging deal with Spotify through which it will offer 16 podcasts in the U.S. starting...

17/10/2025

Viamedia Rebrands as Viamedia.ai

Lexington, Ky. As part of a push to highlight its advanced advertising capabilities, Viamedia has launched a new AI-powered ad tech platform and officially rebr...

17/10/2025

QuickLink to Showcase StudioPro Version 4 at NAB Show New York

NEW YORK QuickLink has announced the release of StudioPro Version 4, which the company is calling the most significant upgrade yet to its flagship video product...

17/10/2025

Apple, NBCU to Launch Apple TV, Peacock Streaming Bundles

NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, Calif. Apple and NBCUniversal said they will sell Apple TV and Peacock streaming bundles to U.S. subscribers starting Oct. 20....

17/10/2025

Q&A with Boston Conservatory Choral Conductor Stephen Spinelli

Q&A with Boston Conservatory Choral Conductor Stephen Spinelli How his research into the lost manuscripts of composer Florence Price led to a Grammy-winning c...

17/10/2025

Netflix ISP Speed Index for September 2025

Back to All News Netflix ISP Speed Index for September 2025 Product 17 October 2025 Global Link copied to clipboard This month, 1% of Internet Service Pro...

17/10/2025

Open Source AI Week - How Developers and Contributors Are Advancing AI Innovation

NVIDIA's on the ground at Open Source AI Week. Stay tuned for a celebration ...

17/10/2025

The Engines of American-Made Intelligence: NVIDIA and TSMC Celebrate First NVIDIA Blackwell Wafer Produced in the US

AI has ignited a new industrial revolution. NVIDIA and TSMC are working togethe...

17/10/2025

Showcasing global expertise in safety and risk management

Gexcon is a trusted safety and risk management partner for complex, high hazard environments. ICG has been a dedicated marketing partner to Gexcon since 2018, b...

17/10/2025

Kingfishr, David Walliams, Baz Ashmawy and Celine Byrne among the guests on this week's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! After an incredible breakthrough year, Kingf...

16/10/2025

SVG Sit-Down: FUJIFILM Execs on GFX ETERNA 55 Camera, Importance of Shallow-Depth-of-Field Production

SVG Sit-Down: FUJIFILM Execs on GFX ETERNA 55 Camera, Importance of Shallow-Dept...

16/10/2025

Squash's Most Ambitious Broadcast Production To Be Deployed at Comcast Business U.S. Open

Squash's Most Ambitious Broadcast Production To Be Deployed at Comcast Busin...

16/10/2025

Main Street Sports Group Inks Deal With Omaha Productions, Launches Original-Content Division

Main Street Sports Group Inks Deal With Omaha Productions, Launches Original-Con...

16/10/2025

A Historic Precursor? FIFA, HBS, DAZN Offer an Inside Look at Production of FIFA Club World Cup 2025

A Historic Precursor? FIFA, HBS, DAZN Offer an Inside Look at Production of FIFA...

16/10/2025

Prime Video Offers Sneak Peak at New NBA on Prime Studio

Prime Video Offers Sneak Peak at New NBA on Prime StudioThe massive 13,000-sq-ft, two-story studio features a LED regulation half court and hoopBy Jason Dachman...

16/10/2025

SVG Remote Production Forum Draws Record Crowd for Visit to PGA TOUR Studios, Deep Dive Into REMI Workflows

SVG Remote Production Forum Draws Record Crowd for Visit to PGA TOUR Studios, De...

16/10/2025

BitFire's Ben Grafchik on How Growing Cloud Workflows Are Impacting the Live-Sports World

BitFire's Ben Grafchik on How Growing Cloud Workflows Are Impacting the Live...

16/10/2025

CultureCon Uncut' Video Podcast Returns for Season 2 With Host Imani Ellis

In 2017, Imani Ellis launched CultureCon, a conference that's become a must-attend event for more than 10,000 diverse creatives and Black professionals to c...

16/10/2025

Fresh Spins on Holiday Standards: The 2025 Spotify Singles Have Arrived

It might still be a little early to break out the tinsel and mistletoe, but Spotify's already queuing up some holiday magic. This year's Spotify Singles...

16/10/2025

Spotify to Publish First Independent Author Releases Through Audiobook Selects, With More Planned Ahead

Earlier this year, our in-house publishing imprint, Spotify Audiobooks, put out ...

16/10/2025

L3Harris Integrates VAMPIRE Aboard GM Defense's Infantry Squad Vehicle

VAMPIRE has been integrated onto GM Defenses Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), providing a mobile solution to effectively and affordably counter small drone threat...

16/10/2025

Unseen and Unmatched: L3Harris Marks a First in Infrared Tracking Technology

The AgilePod mounted on the host aircraft....

16/10/2025

Consumer attitudes toward in-car entertainment and media preferences highlighted in new Gracenote automotive report

60% say infotainment systems are a critical purchasing or leasing consideration,...