Writing
An Australian film,[5] Lion is based on Saroo Brierley's memoir A Long Way Home. In an interview, screenwriter Luke Davies acknowledged the challenges of adapting a book that is primarily about an online search:
It was finding the right balance of the big cinema "no-no", which is that screens on screens is not good. Yet we felt very strongly that our situation was quite different from the usual procedural crime drama TV model, where there are a whole bunch of actors that are crammed with exposition-heavy dialogue pointing at computer screens. We felt that we were a million miles away from that. The relationship with the technology was instigated by a purely and deeply emotional drive and desire to make it to the end of the myth – to find wholeness with the reunification with the lost mother and to find out who you are.[6]
Casting
Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman were cast in the film in October 2014.[7] Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Deepti Naval joined the cast in January 2015;[8] Rooney Mara, David Wenham, and Divian Ladwa were cast in April;[9] and Pallavi Sharda joined the cast in August.[10]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began in January 2015 in Kolkata, India.[8] In mid-April, filming moved to Australia, first Melbourne, and then several locations in Tasmania, including Hobart.[11] Kidman filmed her scenes in Australia.[9][12]
Music
Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka teamed up to compose the film's score.[13] Sia wrote the song "Never Give Up" especially for the film. Also included in the film are Jimmy Radcliffe's "The Sun, the Sand and the Sea", performed by Picturetone Pete, and "Urvasi Urvasi" by A. R. Rahman.[14] Other songs featured in the film include "Blind" by Hercules and Love Affair, "State of the Heart" by Mondo Rock, and "The Rivers of Belief" by Enigma. In one scene, the character of Noor sings along with "Come Closer", an iconic track from 'Disco King' Bappi Lahiri from the film Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki (1984).
