The children who starred in the Oscar-nominated Slumdog Millionaire are being flown into glitzy Los Angeles from India to attend the 2009 Oscars. Two of them (Azharrudin Mohammed, 10, and Rubina Ali, 9) live in Mumbai slums, and all three are being put up in a five-star hotel so they can walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards. None of the children have ever been to the United States: “Not in my dreams did I ever think I will go to America,” Rubina says.
Although the children appear to be living a dream come true, there has been controversy surrounding their involvement in the film and their attendance at the Oscars. Rubina lives in a one-room hut, and her parents reportedly rejected the studio’s original offer to fly her to L.A., suggesting that the money could be put to better use in her life.
Makers of the film have been accused of producing “poverty porn” and exploiting the children as well as creating the term “slumdog,” which some slum dwellers find offensive. Director Danny Boyle says he cast the real slum dwelling children, as opposed to professional actors to give the kids an escape from poverty. The studio has reportedly set up trust funds for the children when they graduate and has assisted them in trying to find new housing in Mumbai.
The children seem unaffected by any controversy surrounding the film, and appear only excited to be rubbing elbows with Hollywood’s elite on Sunday. “I’m going to go and take a lot of pictures and show them to people over here,” Rubina said. “I have to buy clothes and shoes for the award ceremony.” [Photos: Fox Searchlight; Source: Times Online]
(Editor’s Note: Libby Keatinge, our gossip blogger extraordinaire, is hitting all of the parties before and after this year’s Oscars. Keep up with her latest Hollywood Gossip Dispatches in our Academy Awards Blog. Plus, don’t forget to join us for our Live Oscars Blog Party this Sunday at 8PM EST!)
