"Slumdog Millionaire" child star now homeless!!!

Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Academy Awards. But that success did little to help Azharuddin Ismail and his family...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - City authorities in Mumbai demolished the shanty home of a "Slumdog Millionaire" child star on Thursday, forcing his family into the streets months after the Oscar-winning film shot him to global fame.

Azharuddin Ismail, 9, played the character of Salim as a child in the film, a rags-to-riches romance about a poor Indian boy competing for love and money on a television game show.

Ismail's tarpaulin-covered home in a teeming slum was one of several shanties, illegally built along a drain, that were demolished by local authorities in Mumbai, India's financial capital and entertainment hub.

"When they came I was sleeping, they shook me awake and one policeman even threatened me," Ismail, surrounded by half-broken suitcases filled with clothes and utensils, told Reuters.

"What can I do if they have demolished my house? I will sleep out in the open."

A poster of "Slumdog Millionaire," signed by director Danny Boyle, fluttered from the only wall of Ismail's shanty still standing. Open sewers run nearby and it had no running water.

Authorities said the shanties had been demolished earlier but had sprung up again on the same spot.

"The shanties are all touching a drain that has to be cleaned before the advent of the monsoons," said U.D. Mistry, the local official in charge of the demolition drive.

Earlier this year, there was an outcry after pictures emerged of "Slumdog Millionaire's" child stars living in squalor despite the movie's box-office success and eight Academy Awards.

The film also sparked controversy for its name, deemed by some to be offensive to slum dwellers, and its treatment of the cast. Its depiction of the lives of poor Indians was dubbed "poverty porn" by sections of the media.

In February, the housing authority of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said they would give Ismail and fellow child star Rubina Ali new houses. But Ismail's mother, Shameem, said the family is now at the mercy of the rains.

"We also heard that the government had promised us houses, but what happened? We are still homeless," she said. "My son has brought glory to the country, shouldn't he get some credit?"

Slumdog success has opened door like never before for Bollywood movies

(Source - Indian Times)

"Slumdog Millionaire" co-director Loveleen Tandon thinks the 10 Oscar nominations that the film earned today will open the doors for Indian talents at the global level.

"It is incredible for us, for our great Indian actors, for our technicians and for everyone related to the film. It is like a dream come true and a collective time of happiness for us," said Tandon, who also assisted Boyle in the casting of the film.

"It has really opened new doors for us and I am happy that 'Slumdog...' became the vehicle for it. It is high time that the West woke up to Indian talent," said Tandon.

It was at Tandon's insistence that director Danny Boyle included Hindi dialogues in the film.

"One third of the film is in Hindi and I thank Loveleen for that because it has made it more real," Boyle had said.

Tandon, who has previously assisted Mira Nair in "Monsoon Wedding" and "Vanity Fair" said it was a record for any Indian winning three nominations at the Oscars.

"(A R )Rahman has made us so proud. I am so happy to see our genius up there and I am 100 per cent sure that he is going to win," she hoped.

Bollywood movie wins big at the 81st Academy Award

Before the award presentation at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood yesterday, I blogged wether Slumdog Millionaire will create history as the first ever Bollywood or Indian movie to win the coveted Best Picture Award at the Oscar presentation.



And they did. Winning 8 awards in total for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Music Score, Music Song and 2 more awards.

However, the question that lingers are the fate of the child actors who starred in that movie. They are real life poor children living in the slums of Mumbai. Mumbai, the largest city in India with 14 million population has the biggest slum population in the world – 60 % of the city inhabitants live in slums.

LOS ANGELES: Slumdog Millionaire took the best-picture Academy Award and seven other Oscars, including director for Danny Boyle, whose ghetto-to-glory story paralleled the film’s unlikely rise to Hollywood’s summit.

A story of hope amid squalor in Mumbai, India, Slumdog Millionaire came in with 10 nominations, its eight wins including adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and both music Oscars (score and song).

“Just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us make the film and all of those of you who didn’t, thank you very much. You dwarf even this guy,” Boyle said, holding up his directing Oscar.

The filmmakers accepted the best-picture trophy surrounded by both the adult professional actors who appeared among the cast of relative unknowns and some of the children the British director cast from the slums of Mumbai.

The film follows the travails and triumphs of Jamal, an orphan who artfully dodges a criminal gang that mutilates children to make them more pitiable beggars.

Jamal witnesses his mother’s violent death, endures police torture and struggles with betrayal by his brother, while single-mindedly hoping to reunite with the lost love of his childhood.

Fate rewards Jamal, whose story unfolds through flashbacks as he recalls how he came to know the answers that made him a champion on India’s version of the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

The other top winners: Kate Winslet, best actress for the Holocaust-themed drama The Reader; Sean Penn, best actor for the title role of Milk; Heath Ledger, supporting actor for The Dark Knight; and Penelope Cruz, supporting actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

It was Winslet’s first win after five previous losses.

British Slumdog writer Simon Beaufoy, who adapted the script from Indian Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A, said there are places he never could imagine being.
“For me, it’s the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium, and here,” Beaufoy said.

The epic love story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which led with 13 nominations, had three wins, for visual effects, art direction and makeup.

The Dark Knight had a second win, for sound editing.

This was my earlier blog post on Slumdog Millionaire…

Normally only Movie Stars and Hollywood's top actors / actress/ directors walked the red carpet at the annual Academy Award in Hollywood....

We used to see the likes of John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Merryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rex Harrison, Mae West, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Jackson and other stars at the glamorous event.

But there is significant difference for this year 81st Oscar presentation at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood today Sunday 22 February 2009....

This time, 9 ordinary poor children from the slums of Mumbai in India will also walk the glamorous red carpet, enter the Kodak theatre, be seated and may even walk on stage to receive their Oscar.

They come to Hollywood because they are child actors who starred in India's most successful movie - "Slumdog Millionaire".

'Slumdog Millionaire" produced at a modest cost of USD15 million is nominated for 10 Oscars - including Best Picture at the most prestigious and highest honours of the global movie industry.

'Slumdog millionaire' will be battling it out with "The curious case of Benjamin Button", "The Reader", Frost/Nixon and Milk for the main award - Best Picture.

The plot of the movie tells of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers and win 1 million US Dollar at the show.

Cast - Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Prem Kumar, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Jamal K. Malik and child actors amongst others - Rubina Ali, Mohammed Azhaudin Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar.

Directed by Danny Boyle - a British.

Since its release in the cinemas on January 9, 2009, Slumdog Millionaire has won 16 awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTA awards and Critics' Choice Awards.

Gee.... Slumdog Millionaire is better than other legendary Bollywood movies such as Bobby, Kuch Kuch Hota Hei, Naya Daur, Gumrah, Zanjeer, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Deewar, Sholay (highest ever grossing Bollywood movie) and Coolie.

Even Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor,Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Dimple Kapadia, Perveen Babi, Vinod Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Nargis, Dharmendra, Rekha, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan were never nominated for an Oscar in their glittering careers as Bollywood top actors and actresses...!!!!!!

Can an Indian movie win Best Picture at the 81st Academy Award????

Normally only Movie Stars and Hollywood's top actors / actress/ directors walked the red carpet at the annual Academy Award in Hollywood....

We used to see the likes of John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Merryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rex Harrison, Mae West, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Jackson and other stars at the glamorous event.

But there is significant difference for this year 81st Oscar presentation at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood today Sunday 22 February 2009....

This time, 9 ordinary poor children from the slums of Mumbai in India will also walk the glamorous red carpet, enter the Kodak theatre, be seated and may even walk on stage to receive their Oscar.

They come to Hollywood because they are child actors who starred in India's most successful movie - "Slumdog Millionaire".

'Slumdog Millionaire" produced at a modest cost of USD15 million is nominated for 10 Oscars - including Best Picture at the most prestigious and highest honours of the global movie industry.

'Slumdog millionaire' will be battling it out with "The curious case of Benjamin Button", "The Reader", Frost/Nixon and Milk for the main award - Best Picture.

The plot of the movie tells of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers and win 1 million US Dollar at the show.

Cast - Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Prem Kumar, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Jamal K. Malik and child actors amongst others - Rubina Ali, Mohammed Azhaudin Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar.

Directed by Danny Boyle - a British.

Since its release in the cinemas on January 9, 2009, Slumdog Millionaire has won 16 awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTA awards and Critics' Choice Awards.



Gee.... Slumdog Millionaire is better than other legendary Bollywood movies such as Bobby, Kuch Kuch Hota Hei, Naya Daur, Gumrah, Zanjeer, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Deewar, Sholay (highest ever grossing Bollywood movie) and Coolie.

Even Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor,Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Dimple Kapadia, Perveen Babi, Vinod Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Nargis, Dharmendra, Rekha, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan were never nominated for an Oscar in their glittering careers as Bollywood top actors and actresses...!!!!!!