‘Slumdog’ filmmakers meet poor child stars

Published 5:00 am Thursday, May 28, 2009

MUMBAI, India — The makers of “Slumdog Millionaire” met the film’s two impoverished child stars on Wednesday and reassured them they will soon have new homes. But the father of one of the children stormed out, saying the filmmakers have not done enough to help.

Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, both lost their homes this month after city authorities demolished parts of their slum in Mumbai.

Relations between the filmmakers and the children’s families have grown tense since the phenomenal success of the film, which grossed more than $326 million. The filmmakers set up a trust aimed at ensuring the children get proper homes, a decent education and a monthly stipend. But Rafiq Qureshi, Rubina’s father, said director Danny Boyle has not done enough. “It’s no big deal for them, this kind of money. It’s been five or six months we’ve been living in such difficulty.”

Boyle says he plans to make two more films set in Mumbai.

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