SLUMDOG’S CHILD STARS TO ATTEND OSCARS
Studio bosses at the helm of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE have confirmed the film’s child actors will be flown from Mumbai, India to Los Angeles for Sunday’s (22Feb09) Academy Awards.
The film’s producers and director Danny Boyle were recently accused of underpaying the movie’s young stars - who were plucked from obscurity by Boyle after he first visited the Indian slums to set the scene for his picture.
Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, received $725 (£500) and $2,465 (£1,700) respectively for their work.
Boyle and executives at Fox Searchlight came to the defence of the film insisting they were paid three times the average local annual adult salary, were enrolled in school for the first time, and a fund was established for their future welfare.
And a spokesperson for the studio has confirmed the two youngsters will receive A-list treatment when they are whisked over to the glitzy ceremony at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre at the weekend - where the film is up for 10 nominations.
Fox Searchlight representative James Finn says, "Everybody is really excited about it. It’s nice the whole gang will be together." Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail will travel with relatives and will be put up in a five-star hotel for two days.
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
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