The film version of Saroo Brierley’s story is playing in movie theaters now and stars actor Dev Patel (The Man Who Knew Infinity). Nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Lion might be on your end-of-year/holiday season must-see movie list.
In a recent interview, Bill Whitaker of 60 Minutes spoke to Saroo about his compelling story of loss, love and reconnecting decades later with his biological family in India after being separated from his brother Guddu at a train station when he was five years old. (For an in-depth look at the true story on which Lion is based, read Liz Ohanesian’s writeup.)
One interesting topic in the interview was how Saroo was able to recall so many details from his early life in central India up to age five, beyond the memories of the traumatic separation from his family to the landscape details of the village like an overhead walkway and water tower. Those memories, Google Earth, and luck ultimately helped him locate the village where his biological mother Kamla was still living.
Watch the interview from 60 Minutes in the clip below, which includes moments with Saroo Brierley’s Australian mom and dad, his Indian birth mother and siblings, and from his visit to his childhood home in India.
Update: If you’re unable to view the video embed above, there are other recent interviews with Saroo available online, conducted in the weeks leading up to the Oscars: Good Morning Britain, SBS Viceland, and CBS This Morning among them.
