The true story of a young Indian boy adopted by a Tasmanian couple has been made into a Golden Globe-nominated film called Lion, starring Dev Patel.
For the British actor, it took eight months working on the script and getting his Australian accent down.
"Slowly I started to feel it more and more, until you become someone else, for that journey," he says.
It was a journey worth taking, and not just for Patel.
Lion has been lauded by critics, nominated for four Golden Globes and a strong contender for this week's Oscar nominations.
Patel knows all about Oscar's fuss - his break-out role was in Oscar behemoth Slumdog Millionaire.
But you immediately get the sense for this 26-year-old it's not about awards or fame. Instead, he's in it for love.
"What acting is at its core is trying to understand what it's like to be human," he says.
"It doesn't matter what colour your skin is, or your sexual preference is or anything.
"We're all humans at the end of the day, we all need love. We all need togetherness."
And as far as Patel's concerned, there is never a better time than right now to release a story like Lion.
"It's really rare when you get to do a film which completely nourishes you as a human being," he says.
"It's a very exposing space we went into, every actor in these roles, there are some heavy dark scenes there.
"But at its core it's about love and unity, and right now in the world, whether it's Brexit in London, or Trump in America, this idea of love bringing people together, it's a nice thing to be putting out."
Lion is Saroo Brierley's true story of how a tiny five-year-old boy found himself lost and alone amidst the teeming masses in Calcutta, then adopted by an Australian couple.
As a grown man the call to home, to his real family, became deafening.
Patel spent time with Brierley and both of his families preparing for this role, and he was under no illusions about how special their story was.
"When you've got something in the back of your subconscious which is, wow, these words I am saying were once spoken in a room like this, between a real mother and son, and they were pouring their souls out to each other, it gives it all a gravitas.
"You're like wow, these are sacred these lines I am saying now."
They are words resonating with audiences everywhere, including, now, New Zealand ones - Lion has just opened here.
Newshub.
