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According to reports, Danny Boyle abruptly left India for England the other day, after a meeting with the Jai Ho Trust pretty much turned into an extortion attempt by the families of the young actors. The trust was originally set up to give the child actors better living conditions and a decent education, but during this week’s meetings, the families of Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali demanded cars for relatives, and tens of thousands of dollars in extra cash for spending.

A spokesperson for the Jai Ho Trust confirmed today that Danny had left in the middle of negotiations because he was “tired [and] frustrated at these demands”.

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Slumdog Millionaire Kids Play Hooky

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Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali, two of the formerly homeless Slumdog Millionaire kids are now at risk of losing their filmmaker-provided trust funds, all because neither kid has been to school on a regular basis so far this year.

According to Noshir Dadrawala, the administer for the Jai Ho Trust, Azharuddin has only been present to about a third of his school days so far this year, and Rubina has only popped in for about a quarter. Noshir is blaming the kids’ truancy on their traveling, saying,

They are constantly going to Paris and Cochin and Chennai. That’s fine, but go over the weekend, not at the sacrifice of school.

If Azharuddin and Rubina don’t start attending at least 70% of their school days, the trust will stop making their £100 monthly trust fund payments. In addition, of the kids don’t graduate from high school in a few years, they will lose the lump sum payment that the trust has set aside for them.

When interviewed, Azharuddin’s mother blamed her son’s absences on his father’s death in September. Rubina’s parents have yet to come up with an excuse.

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10-year-old Slumdog Millionaire actor, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and his family finally moved into their new Santa Cruz West home in India this past Saturday. The family was left homeless several months ago after their shack in the Mumbai slums was destroyed by Indian authorities.

Their new $42,000 modern apartment was purchased for the family by the Jai Ho Trust, a fund set up by the filmmakers of Slumdog Millionaire to ensure the well-being of the film’s young actors. The trust currently owns the home, but the deed will be passed on to Azharuddin when he turns 18.

The family was seen moving pots and pans, a TV, and a birdcage into the new home over the weekend.  Their new neighbors even had the chance to get to know the new family.  One resident at the new complex complained to reporters on Sunday that all the noise that Azharuddin and his cousins made kept him up all night.

The boy and his family first began moving into a government-sponsored home last month, but the Maharashtra Housing Authority Development Agency expressed interest in rescinding their offer after learning that the Jai Ho Trust had also purchased a home for the family. No word yet on whether or not the apartment was actually taken back.

The Jai Ho Trust is now working on getting Azharuddin’s co-star, Rubina Ali and her family into a new home.

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Yesterday we reported that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail began moving into his new 180-square-foot home purchased for him by the Indian government. Today, the Jai Ho Trust, set up to support the Slumdog Millionaire child actors, has released a statement confirming that a second home is now ready for the 10-year-old and his family.

A spokesperson for the Jai Ho Trust says,

They can move in, I’m just waiting for their consent.

The second home is slightly larger than the first, at 250 square feet, and is located in Santa Cruz West, just north of the slums where Azharuddin previously lived. According to the spokesperson, the trust will own the $50,000 apartment until Azharuddin turns 18. At that point, ownership will be transferred over to him.

The boy’s family plans to keep both homes. Azharuddin’s mother Shameem tells the press,

After Azhar is grown up, he can stay in one. Me and my husband can stay in the other. Both houses are small.

The government, however, may have different plans. They’ve noted that their apartment is a bit far from Azharuddin’s school, and have expressed interest in taking back their housing offer.

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Slumdog Kid Moves Into His New House

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10-year-old Slumdog Millionaire kid Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and his mother, father, and brother have finally begun moving into their new apartment provided by the Maharashtra Housing Authority Development Agency.

The government-sponsored 1 room apartment measures 180 square feet, and has a bathroom with running water. The $8560 property is located on the first floor of a new building in the Malvani district of Mumbai.  A picture of the new home is available here.

No word yet on whether or not Azharuddin will also get the apartment purchased for him by Danny Boyle’s Jai Ho foundation.

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The three youngest cast members of Slumdog Millionaire flew to Hong Kong today for a live taping of a song-and-dance routine to support The Community Chest charity, which aims to raise money to support various community projects in Hong Kong.

Rubina Ali, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar were seen being followed by the paparazzi earlier today after their arrival at Hong Kong International Airport.

The trio, who will be staying at a luxury hotel, are being paid a small sum of money for their appearance.  After their performance, the kids will be heading out to London for a Parliament event set to honor the Slumdog cast and crew.

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The Slumdog Millionaire filmmakers have finally found an excuse to pull 10-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and his 9-year-old co-star Rubina Ali out of the Mumbai slums for excursion #2.

The pair will be taking a trip to London next weekend for an event thrown by Parliament Member Keith Vaz to honor the impact that Slumdog Millionaire has had on world-wide audiences.  Rubina, who has been studying up on the country’s landmarks, has told reporters,

I can not wait to travel to London to see the Houses of Parliament. I will get to see Big Ben and hopefully Leicester square where all the movie premieres are. I also want to go on the London Eye, I have seen it on the television, but now I will get to see it in real life.

Azharuddin adds,

We keep on getting awards for this film. It is good that the film is still being seen and I can not wait to travel to Britain to see another different country.

The kids first ventured out of India to attend the Academy Awards earlier this year.

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Slumdog Millionaire actor, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail’s family members, who were homeless just last week, now reportedly have two brand new homes waiting for them.

A trust set up for the young Slumdog Millionaire actors, recently dropped a little change on a brand new apartment for the 10-year-old after his home in the Mumbai slums was destroyed by Indian authorities last month. Coincidentally, the Indian government, which received a nice chunk of bad press from the house-crushing incident, also stepped in to buy a new pad for the Ismail family.

9-year-old actress Rubina Ali, whose home was also destroyed last month, is reportedly receiving a home from the government as well.  No word yet on whether or not she’ll also score a second home from the Slumdog trust like her lucky co-star Azharuddin did.

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Danny Boyle Visits Slumdog Kids In India

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Slumdog Millionaire director, Danny Boyle arrived in Mumbai today to meet with the families of child actors, Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed, whose homes were destroyed by Indian authorities in recent weeks.

The meeting, which was set up to discuss the issue of acquiring proper housing for both children and their families, ended early when Rubina’s father Rafiq Qureshi stormed out of the room, telling reporters,

Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money. If you really want to get us a house you can get us a house in two days. After the Oscars they forgot about us.

Danny defended himself by saying that he and other Slumdog filmmakers had been trying to secure housing for the children “for a long time”.  A home for Azharuddin is reportedly almost ready for move-in, and the children’s trust is still working on finding an apartment for Rubina’s family.

Rubina is currently living with relatives, and Azharuddin is staying with his parents in a makeshift shack made of blankets and tarps.

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The Associated Press is reporting that the home of 9-year-old Rubina Ali was torn down in the Mumbai slums early this morning, when Indian authorities demolished about 18 shacks in the poverty stricken area.

Rubina’s father, Rafiq Qureshi claims that the police assaulted him before the demolition, sending him to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police officers interviewed are denying that Rafiq’s home was involved in the demolition, saying that even though several other homes in a nearby area were affected, Rafiq’s house was not in that part of town.  Rafiq is no stranger to controversy.  Last month, he was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell Rubina to a wealthy family from Dubai.

Last week, news broke that the home of another Slumdog Millionaire child actor, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, was destroyed by authorities.

Police officers claim that they are just cracking down on illegally constructed homes in the slums.

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Slumdog Millionaire Child Star Now Homeless

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10-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who played young Salim Malik in Slumdog Millionaire is reportedly homeless after Indian authorities demolished his home, along with 30 others in the Mumbai slums early this morning.

Azharuddin and his mother were reportedly awoken by police officers and told to abandon the premises. Azharuddin claimed that a police officer beat him with a bamboo stick to shoo him out. His mother, Shameem Ismail told reporters,

They didn’t give prior notice. We didn’t even get a chance to take out our belongings. I don’t know what I am going to do.

This incident is the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the stars of the Oscar-winning film. Last month, another child actress from the film, Rubina Ali’s father was accused of attempting to sell his her to a wealthy family from Dubai.

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