Maps of Movies

Lion (2016)

Where Lion says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

A five-year-old falls asleep on a station bench in Madhya Pradesh and wakes up in Calcutta. The film follows him to Tasmania and Melbourne, and back.

Scenes and places

The home Saroo cannot find again (1986)

Five-year-old Saroo lives with his mother, his elder brother Guddu and his baby sister. He follows Guddu everywhere he goes, which sets the trip that separates them.

Set in Ganesh Talai, Khandwa — The neighbourhood in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, where five-year-old Saroo lives with his mother, brother Guddu and baby sister. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A neighbourhood of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Filmed at Ganesh Talai, Khandwa — The film was shot extensively in and around Khandwa, especially Ganesh Talai; the exact streets are not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The bench where Saroo falls asleep (1986)

Saroo goes along with Guddu to a station and falls asleep on a bench. When he wakes, Guddu is gone and he starts calling for him.

Set in Railway station near Khandwa — The station where Saroo goes with Guddu to work, falls asleep on a bench and cannot find him on waking. The film's plot does not name this station.

A junction station in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, used as a filming location.

Filmed at Dewas Junction railway station — Wikipedia lists the Dewas railway station among the filming locations; it is not stated that it plays this exact station. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The locked train (1986)

Saroo looks for Guddu on an empty train and falls asleep. He wakes to find the doors locked and the train moving.

Set in Empty passenger train — Saroo searches for Guddu on an empty train, falls asleep in a compartment and wakes with the train moving and the doors locked.

A moving train, so no fixed location; no filming place is named in the sources.

Calcutta, a city that speaks another language (1986)

Saroo arrives in a city where he does not speak the language, and the ticket attendant does not know his village's name. He spends the night with street children and runs when men try to take them.

Set in Howrah Station, Calcutta — After several days, the train arrives in Calcutta. Saroo cannot be understood and spends the night in the station with street children. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A major railway terminal on the west bank of the Hooghly River; the film's Calcutta station is identified here from a later line in the script, not a plot statement.

Filmed at Kolkata — Principal photography began in Kolkata in January 2015; the specific station used is not named in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Two months by the bridge (1986)

Saroo survives alone near the bridge for two months. He senses danger when a seemingly friendly woman offers help.

Set in Near Howrah Bridge, Calcutta — Saroo wanders the city, escapes from Noor, and lives near the Howrah Bridge for two months before being taken to the police. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River linking Howrah and Kolkata.

The woman who offers help (1986)

Noor seems kind and takes Saroo home, promising that Rama will help. Saroo reads the danger in time and escapes.

Set in Noor's apartment, Calcutta — Noor takes Saroo to her apartment and says a man named Rama will help him find his way home. Saroo senses danger and escapes.

Somewhere in the streets of Calcutta; the sources name no exact place.

Filmed at Kolkata — Filming took place in Kolkata; the specific streets and flat are not named in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The orphanage and the newspaper advertisement (1986)

No one answers the newspaper advertisement. Saroo learns basic English as an Australian couple becomes interested in adopting him.

Set in Orphanage and police station, Calcutta — Authorities cannot find Saroo's family, so he is placed in an orphanage and an advertisement about him is put in local newspapers.

Not located; no filming place is named in the sources.

A new home on the other side of the world (1987)

Saroo arrives in Tasmania and meets Sue and John. Sue promises to listen whenever he is ready to tell her where he came from. A year later, Mantosh joins the family and struggles to settle.

Set in Hobart, Tasmania — Saroo moves to Hobart in 1987 to live with Sue and John Brierley. A year later they adopt another boy, Mantosh. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The capital of Tasmania, Australia, on the Derwent River below Mount Wellington.

Filmed at Hobart, Tasmania — Filming moved to Tasmania, including Hobart; sites such as Marion Bay, Mount Wellington and Bruny Island are named in a press article. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Melbourne, Google Earth and a plate of jalebi (2007)

Saroo studies hotel management and falls for Lucy. The sight of jalebi at a friend's house brings back a memory, and his friends tell him to search on Google Earth. He becomes obsessed and pulls away from the people around him.

Set in Melbourne, Victoria — Saroo moves to Melbourne to study hotel management and meets Lucy. At a meal with Indian friends he recognises jalebi, a dish he loved as a child, and starts searching on Google Earth. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Australia's second-largest city, where Saroo's study and search begin.

Filmed at Melbourne — Filming moved to Melbourne in mid-April 2015; the specific streets and houses are not named in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Back to Ganesh Talai

After years of searching, Saroo recognises the landscape of his childhood on the map. He decides to go back to the village.

Set in Ganesh Talai, Khandwa — Saroo recognises rock formations near where his mother worked, finds the Ganesh Talai area on the map, and returns to the neighbourhood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The same Khandwa neighbourhood where the film began.

Filmed at Ganesh Talai, Khandwa — The film was shot extensively in and around Khandwa, especially Ganesh Talai; the exact streets are not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Marion Bay, Tasmania — Tasmania filming Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Mount Wellington, Tasmania — Tasmania filming Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Bruny Island, Tasmania — Tasmania filming Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Saroo — An Indian boy separated from his family at five, adopted in Tasmania and later searching for home.
• Sue Brierley — Saroo's adoptive mother in Hobart.
• Lucy — An American student Saroo meets in Melbourne.

Questions answered on the map

• Where were the scenes of Saroo's journey from India to Australia really filmed?