Azhar Is A Slumdog No Longer (Video)

Finally… one of Slumdog Millionaire‘s two homeless child stars now owns a home. Yesterday, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (the kid who played young Salim in the film) and his mother moved into their very own apartment purchased by Danny Boyle’s Jai Ho foundation.

The new digs are a luxurious 250sq-ft (that’s good by  Mumbai standards, apparently) with running water, locking doors, and all that good stuff.

Ownership will be transferred from the foundation to Azhar when he turns 18 — pending of course that he finishes school.

Last month, the Mumbai Housing Authority put child star Azhar up in a city-owned apartment, even though they knew Jai Ho was purchasing a home for the family. I guess that was just a PR move so the city of Mumbai could show just how much it pretends to cares about its slum kids.

The Jai Ho foundation has also set up a trust to provide a living allowance for Azhar and fellow homeless co-star Rubina Ali, who will reportedly be given a home ASAP.

I’m sure that Mumbai’s bureaucracy is a royal pain, but still, what’s taking so long? Geez.

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