‘Slumdog’ children back on streets

Posted May.15, 2009 under Featured, World

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The Mumbai slum home of one of the child stars of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire has been demolished by city authorities.

Azharuddin Ismail M Shaikh, the main child star of the movie, said a team of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) came unannounced this morning, ordered them to move out of their shanties in Garib Nagar slum of Bandra East and demolished them.
Nearly 20 children who acted in the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire were thrown out on Mumbai’s streets after city authorities demolished nearly 50 huts in a slum in the Indian city yesterday.
Azharuddin Ismail M Shaikh, the main child star of the movie, said a team of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) came unannounced this morning, ordered them to move out of their shanties in Garib Nagar slum of Bandra East and demolished them.
Reports say that police smacked the boy, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, with a bamboo stick before ordering him out.

Municipal official, Uma Shankar Mistry, who was present during the demolition, told that the authorities only razed temporary and illegal homes which had recently been erected next to the slum.

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He said the houses were in an area that was meant for a public garden.
The mother of the child actor said that she did not know what would happen to her family now and that the help promised by local authorities and by the film’s makers had not materialised.

“Our house has been broken down by officials. We have not been given any alternate accommodation. Earlier the authorities had said they would give us a house. But I don’t think that will happen any more,” Shamim Ismail told.

The families of Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and co-star Rubina Ali, who played a younger version of the film’s female lead, had been promised new accommodation by a local housing authority.