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Oscar-winning movie SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the gift that keeps giving for its child stars - authorities in Mumbai, India are planning to provide the young actors with housing so they can escape their lives of poverty.
Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, were plucked from obscurity by moviemaker Danny Boyle after he first visited the Indian slums to set the scene for his picture.
Despite controversy surrounding their wages - between $725 (£500) and $2,465 (£1,700) for their work - Boyle vowed to ensure the children’s future - promising to put them through school and establishing a trust fund for the pair.
And the kids weren’t forgotten as Slumdog Millionaire swept the board at the Academy Awards on Sunday (22Feb09) - they were whisked to Hollywood for the ceremony to see the movie collect eight awards out of the ten categories it was nominated in.
Now, housing bosses in Mumbai have arranged flats for Ali and Ismail and their respective families in a bid to move them from out of the slums which helped make them famous.
Rubina’s father Rafiq says, "It means so much to get a proper flat. First the Oscars, now this. For three generations, we have been in this slum - now we may get out of here. We never dreamed of owning a flat." Amarjeet Singh Manhas of the Maharashtra housing authority, adds, "These children have made the country proud." Earlier this week (begs23Feb09) India’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced entertainment tax would be waived for the film after boosting tourism in the country.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)