The heart of a lion

Lion is another feather in Dev Patel's impressive body of work

Dev Patel seems to have an unwritten rule in his contracts, "Will work only with Oscar winners". Just look at the list of his last few films, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel with the likes of Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, The Man Who Knew Infinity with Jeremy Irons, and now Lion, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and where he shares the screen with Nicole Kidman. It's quite an impressive record for a young actor working his way up the ranks.

Lion is the adaptation of the 2013 book, A Long Way Home, a remarkable memoir of how Saroo, an Indian boy who gets lost, ends up at Howrah, 1,500 km from his home in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, and eventually in Tasmania, after being adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley. And that's just half the story. Separated from his birth family when he is barely six, Saroo embarks on a quest to discover his roots when he is in his 20s, and almost miraculously, finds his way back to his village with the help of Google Earth.

Patel plays Saroo Brierley, while Kidman plays his adoptive Australian mother Sue. Priyanka Bose plays his birth mother, Kamla, a manual labourer and single mother, in this Australian film directed by Garth Davis.

It is a different role for Patel, who, for the first time in a major role, does not have to deliver Indian-accented, but Australian-accented English. He was also ordered by his director to work out to look the part of a strapping young man who is into typical Australian water sports. "As soon as I got the role, he said, 'Okay, put on some weight, grow some hair and hit the gym'," Patel recounted at TIFF.

He acknowledged the inevitable comparisons with Slumdog Millionaire, his first film, but explained they were poles apart: "You're dealing with a young boy in a situation of poverty at the beginning. But thematically the films are completely different."

There's no room in Lion for Patel's wide-eyed gazes or clumsy manner, mainstays of his previous roles. The actor delivers an intense performance, tormented by memories of his past and thoughts of how his mother and siblings must have taken his loss on the one hand and his determination not to appear ungrateful to the Brierleys for taking him into their hearts, on the other. "As a person I'm very fidgety, kind of awkward human being. This role, unlike anything I've ever done really, has been a very introspective experience," Patel said.

His character straddles Hobart, where Saroo grows up, Melbourne, where he goes to college and begins his search for his roots, and India, where he returns to find his family. The first third of the film belongs to little Saroo, played by Sunny Pawar, whom Davis discovered after an extensive search across India. He charms the viewer with his various expressions - of wonder at discovering the world, joy in his life's simple pleasures, terror at being separated from his older brother and then finding himself alone in a huge city. Saroo and his brother Guddu dominate the early part of the film with their easy banter and tender affection.

Davis paints a captivating portrait of Indian society with both its beauty and warts. He is careful not to romanticise the country or shoot in easy locations. There are impressive cameos in the Indian scenes by Tannishtha Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Deepti Naval. In Melbourne, Rooney Mara plays Patel's love interest. Kidman is predictably impressive, while her husband's character is relegated to a supporting act.

Saroo's Indian friends in college chip in with their tips about Indian locations, and his search for home progresses with the excitement of a thrilling game. As it builds up to the climax of his memory and his eventual reunion, there is a chorus of sniffles all around the theatre. Not surprisingly, the film won the first runner-up position at the TIFF People's Choice Awards, a reliable pointer to the coming awards season. Patel has been here before: Slumdog Millionaire won the People's Choice Award at TIFF in 2008, and went on to win eight Oscars.

The film's title is explained in a graphic at the very end, if you can still read through your tears of joy and elation.