The Trust set up for the two young stars of the multi-million dollar box office success Oscar Award winning film, Slumdog Millionaire, have purchased a 250 sq foot one bedroom apartment, for the family of the 10 year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail.

Life has not been easy for Azharuddin and Rubina, from the moment they stepped into the limelight of the film set.

• His father argued with the film company about sending Azharuddin overseas, saying the family would rather be paid the airfares in badly needed cash. Azharuddin’s father suffers from tuberculosis, while his mother is blind in one eye
• The day after his return from the Awards ceremony in America, photographers caught Azharuddin’s father beating the boy because he was too exhausted from jet lag to be put on show any more
• On her return from the Oscars Rubina told reportes she no longer wanted to live in the slums. “It stinks and is full of rubbish.” Rubina’s home was right next to an open sewer
• Just two months later Azharuddin’s family were evicted from their slum shack and forced to live underneath a makeshift plastic tarpaulin
• Just last month the area where Azharuddin’s family lived, was cleared by baton wielding policemen, just before the bulldozers moved in to demolish the area. The police claimed they did not know the stars lived in the area and the government claimed the families were squatting on land owned by the government and the city needed to do a pre-monsoon clean up
• Within days, the ‘Barby Doll Pink’ painted shack that Rubina Ali’s family lived in was demolished by the city authorities, on the excuse that a pedestrian flyover was to be built in the area
• The city authorities promised the families of both stars new apartments, but the families firmly rejected the offer, saying the government flats were too far away from their neighbours and school. For three generations the families have lived in the sewer-ridden Mumbai slums. Once a family has lived in the slums for over 15 years, the government is meant to supply them with a home
• An undercover sting operation saved 9 year old Rubina from being sold by her father and uncle, for US$400,000. The deal would have made her father a multi-millionaire in Indian rupees.

The ownership of the apartment, costing around $50,000 dollars, will pass to Azharuddin when he turns 18 years old, provided he has completed his schooling. When the operators of the Trust were asked, “What happens if Azharuddin does not complete his schooling?” the Trust refused to give an answer.

The Trust is now looking for a new home for the family of 9 year old Rubina Ali. Rubina’s father, Rafiq Qureshi said. “Everything is here in Mumbai if you have the money. If you really want to buy us a house, you can buy us a house in two days.”

The producer and director of Slumdog Millionaire says they have donated $474,500 to charity to help slum kids in Mumbai, apart from the education trust they have set up for the two stars.

The question however needs to be asked, how is it that both the young stars homes’ were demolished within weeks of each other? Is it that the local authorities are embarrassed by the living conditions of the young film stars, as journalists and tourists, from all over the world, continued to track the pair down?

Rick and Wendy from the charity YouMe Support Foundation, in Vanuatu, are fully aware of the responsibility of taking a child from a lesser fortunate situation and giving them a ray of hope. This kind of project can only succeed through a long term commitment to the child. The students in their program will need to be cared for over the next 10 - 15 years. Take a few minutes to see how you can help them, as well as possibly changing your own life.

This ticket was posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 8:26 pm and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this ticket through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Are The Young Slumdog Millionaire Stars An Embarrassment?”

1. dropjack.com Says:
   June 15th, 2009 at 12:29 am

   Are The Young Slumdog Millionaire Stars An Embarrassment?…

   At last one of the Slumdog Millionaire Stars has a new home, courtesy of the trust. But are these kids an embarrassment to the city authorities….

2. Is er iemand weet hoe vastgoed Foreclosures of fiscale Foreclosures werk alsjeblieft helpen? | How Does Foreclosure Work Says:
   June 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

   [...] Are The Young Slumdog Millionaire Stars An Embarrassment? [...]

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