Courtesy of Media.entertainment.sky.com
Slumdog Millionaire may have raked in over £216 million in box office receipts since its release in 2008, yet the child actors who were plucked from the shanty towns of Mumbai and who starred in the movie are now facing tough times. Last week, Azharuddin Mohammad Ismail, who played the young Salim, and Rubina Ali, who played the young hero Latika, became the latest victims of the city’s cleanup of illegal homes that occupy an area known as Garib Nagar, ‘city of the poor.’
These latest happenings raise the question as to what is truly being done to help these children who, after having been exposed to the glamour of the Oscars and of the red carpet, have swiftly been returned to the harsh reality of their poverty ridden environment in Mumbai.
Since the release of the Oscar winning movie, its filmmakers have reportedly donated £500,000 to a charity in Mumbai which is aimed at helping slum children in the country. In addition, the ‘Jai Ho’ trust has been set up by director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson to ensure that the children are provided with accommodation, education and an endowment until they complete their education at 18. They have also agreed to donate to each family a monthly stipend of $130 and a lump sum of $3,000 a year to support the children whilst they are in school, all in the hopes of bettering and brightening their futures.
Boyle and Colson have also sought to house the families of the child actors, yet have been turned down because their budget of $30,000 was apparently insufficient for Mumbai’s expensive real-estate market. However, following Rubina’s stay in a local hospital, the search for new homes for the two children and their families has intensifed.
Jai Ho trustee Nirja Mattoo has remarked, ‘We are trying our best to finalise things as soon as possible’, whilst politician Chief Minister Ashok Chavan recently told the Mumbai Mirror, ‘We decided to give them the flats and we will stand by our word. The elections delayed the process, but very soon we will allot them the flats through MHADA. I will sign the files in a day or two.’
Apparently all it takes is a simple signature to house the child actors who have become known the world over, yet all they can do is wait. Let’s hope Mumbai will indeed practice what it preaches.
