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Slumdog star moves into new home in upmarket Mumbai
A child star of the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire moved into his new home in an upmarket Mumbai suburb yesterday, a far cry from his family's former dwelling - a shanty by the railway tracks.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:04 July 4, 2009
Mumbai: A child star of the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire moved into his new home in an upmarket Mumbai suburb yesterday, a far cry from his family's former dwelling - a shanty by the railway tracks.
Azharuddin Esmail, 9, played the youngest Salim in British director Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches film about a slum dweller trying his luck on a TV gameshow.
His eyes bright and a big smile plastered on his face, Ismail showed off his new home to guests.
"I like it here, it is really nice. But I will miss my old friends back in Bandra. Maybe I will go and visit them once a while," a grinning Ismail told Reuters.
Ismail and his family moved into the 250 sq ft ground floor flat, which is in a modern building complex, with electricity and running water. It is a short drive away from Juhu, a suburb home to some of India's popular film stars.
The Jai Ho Trust, named after the film's award-winning track and set up by the producers, bought the $42,000 (Dh154,000) home on Ismail's behalf and will give it to him when he turns 18.
Ismail's earlier dwelling, a tarpaulin and sheet hut, was demolished by the civic authorities in May as it was illegal. Pictures of Ismail and a child co-star picking through the debris of their old homes caused uproar in Mumbai, where more than half its 17 million population is homeless.
"We have lived on the road for so many years. I had never dreamed that we would have a roof over our heads," Ismail's mother, Shameem, told Reuters.
The Jai Ho Trust is looking for a house for co-star Rubina Ali, who still lives in a slum.
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