Well the dude who directed Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle - has finally stepped into the fray regarding the homelessness of two of his child actors from the film.
As we last left India, Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali and their families had been kicked out of their slum housing for city improvements (probably a telephone kiosk or something). Anyway, it certainly seemed like bad times till Mr. Boyle went down there and bought some apartments for the two.
HOWEVER, there’s a new wrinkle:
Slumdog Millionaire’s young stars Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali have been offered new homes by the Indian government - just days after director Danny Boyle purchased apartments for the child actors.
Boyle and the movie’s producers plucked Ismail, 10, and Ali, nine, from impoverished obscurity to appear in the Oscar-winning film and established the Jai Ho Trust last year to help fund their education.
But the kids’ plight has captured headlines in recent weeks after both children’s families were booted out of their homes and forced to live on the streets of India by local authorities.
They had been homeless for weeks before Boyle flew into Mumbai this week and revealed he had bought Ismail a brand new apartment, with plans to do the same for Ali.
And now India’s chief minister, Congress party member Ashok Chavan, has waded into the controversy - revealing both stars’ families have already been alloted new homes which will be ready in days.
A statement from Chavan reads, “The regional head of the Congress party said these two child actors were talented but were living in the slums and therefore should be given homes.”
As WENN went to press, it was unknown whether the two families would have to choose between the homes. (ContactMusic)
Without wading too far into this quagmire; Boyle should have at least set up SOMETHING for these kids before leaving them in the first place. How do you take them to Hollywood and then plop them back into the slums??? Second, obviously this is a political ploy and if anything it’ll just get worse for these kids as they get older - becoming pawns in the next regional election.
For what its worth, I’d take the apartment from Boyle.
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