Lion aims to take a stab at the Oscars

One could say that Lion is as filmy as a Bollywood movie can get. The movie is an adaptation of Saroo Brierley’s account, A Long Way Home, which recounts how he located his biological family in Kolkata, 25 years after being adopted by an Australian couple.

First-time director, Garth Favis, has used the intrinsic drama of Saroo’s story to build a blueprint of brilliant visuals and nailed down the emotions. The movie’s trailer shows Dev Patel at the peak of his acting acumen too.

Reliable sources have confirmed that the producers of Lion, The Weinstein Company, are aiming to get Dev an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Dev’s strong central presence is also  pinned down by some very fine acting talent, including Rooney Mara, who plays his girlfriend, and Nicole Kidman, who essays the role of his mother.

Unfortunately, though, other Indian actors have been rather poorly represented in the trailer. Apart from Priyanka Bose, who plays Saroo’s biological mother in Kolkata; and the supremely talented child, Sunny Pawar, who plays the young Saroo, not one Indian actor gets a shot in the trailer. Even Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays Dev’s older brother in the movie, is conspicuous by his absence.