Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel's film Lion is all set to be released in Australia in January next year.

Patel is playing Saroo Brierley, an India-born Australian businessman who made headlines in 2012 after he revealed his story of tracking down his biological mother and brother in Calcutta using Google earth in his book A Long Way Home.

The film has Rooney Mara playing his girlfriend, Nicole Kidman and David Wenham as his adoptive parents and Sunny Pawar in a role as the young Saroo in India.

The film based on Brierley's book is directed by Garth Davis.

Brierley was five-year-old when he became lost on a train in India. He was later adopted by an Australian family in Tasmania.

Lion will open in Australia next year on January 19.