The movie is based on the true story of India-born Australian Saroo Brierley. At the tender age of 5, Brierley became lost on a train in India. He went through several transitions before being adopted by Australian couple John and Sue Brierley.

Then, after 25 years, he found his birth family with help from Google Earth. Regardless of the movie's ending, the real Brierley and his birth mother Fatima Munshi are still making some adjustments.

After leaving India at a very young age, Brierley admitted that he does not really understand his first language. “We lived in a slum and did not have the opportunity to go to school,” he told The Jakarta Post regarding his limited knowledge of his mother tongue. To communicate with his family, Brierley still relies on a translator.

(Read also: Tearjerker 'Lion' makes you rethink your life)

Since his family reunion in 2012, Brierley has been toying with the idea of taking Munshi to Australia. However, he realized it was not a good idea. “We, as Westerners, are quick to say that you should do [certain things], but we have to be mindful of the person,” he explained. “I guess it is extreme to take an adult from her vicinity.”

In regards to the movie, Brierley said his family had yet to see Lion as he was still waiting for it to be translated. Nevertheless, he is excited about taking his family to see it. “I do not think they understand what really happened and what I had been through [as shown in the movie]. Well, seeing is believing,” said Brierley. (asw)

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