Everything changes when Saroo is adopted by a middle-class Australian couple, Sue and John, who live in a nice house on the ocean and enjoy sailing. Then, when he is homeless in Calcutta, Saroo witnesses a great deal of desperation: on the streets, in Noor's care, at the orphanage. In his early childhood, Saroo lives in poverty, with him and his brother needing to work in order to bring in money to his family. This theme is harshly depicted by the alternating scenes of Calcutta with Australia. Saroo's main journey, once he has unlocked his memory of his early life, is to bridge the gap between his two identities and tie up the loose ends of his early traumatic experience. Nonetheless, something as big as his heritage cannot be ignored for his whole life, which is why, when he is questioned at university about his background Saroo claims he is not really Indian, it opens up the doors to reunite both of his identities, as both an Indian and Australian. As he grows up in Sue and Jim's Tasmanian home, he begins to assimilate more and more to Western, white Australian culture and soon memories of eating jalebis and going on train rides with his brother begin to fade. An even larger shift occurs once Saroo is adopted. When he gets separated from his brother, he maintains his sense of self, yet cannot identify himself to strangers in a way that will return him to his family. It is normal for him to work alongside his family collecting coal for a living. Initially, Saroo's identity is defined by his Indian upbringing.
Perhaps the most obvious theme in the film is identity.
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