Guddu, the older brother of Saroo, dies in a train accident.
In the film “Lion,” which is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley and his memoir “A Long Way Home,” Guddu and Saroo are close siblings living in poverty in India. One night, they go out to scavenge for work and food. Saroo, being very young, gets tired and falls asleep at a train station. Guddu tells him to wait and promises to come back, but when Saroo wakes up, Guddu is nowhere to be found. Saroo, in search of his brother, boards a decommissioned train and falls asleep again, which takes him thousands of miles away to Kolkata.
Throughout the film, Saroo is haunted by the loss of his family and the unknown fate of Guddu. It is later revealed through flashbacks and Saroo’s memories that Guddu was hit by a train on the same night they were separated. This tragic event is a pivotal moment in Saroo’s life, as it leads to his eventual adoption by an Australian couple and his long journey to find his biological family as an adult. The film poignantly portrays the bond between the brothers and the impact of Guddu’s death on Saroo’s quest for identity and belonging.
