Slumdog Film Makers Pledge to Buy Homes for Impoverished Child Stars

Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, both lost their homes earlier this month when city authorities bulldozed parts of their slum in Mumbai. Since then, Ali has been staying with relatives, while Ismail has been residing in a makeshift shanty made of tarps and blankets with his family.

Slumdog director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson met with the two child stars and their families and promised that things will soon change.

"We've been trying for a long time to move them into legal accommodation," Boyle told reporters at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The filmmakers have set up a trust for the two children to assure that they get new homes, a decent education, and monthly stipends. Yet, the amount of the trust is unknown, even to their parents, in fear of making the children vulnerable to exploitation.

Nirja Mattoo, who helps oversee the children's trust, said that a new home has been found for Ismail, and the deal will be finalized sometime next week. The search still continues for a home for Ali.

However, Ali's father, Rafiq Qureshi, stormed out of the meeting, saying not enough is being done.

"It's no big deal for them, this kind of money," he said. "It's been five or six months we've been living in such difficulty. They should help us."

Mattoo simply replied, "We're trying our best to get it (a house) as soon as possible."