Holiday rentals news - Slumdog Millionaire child star's home demolished

Slumdog Millionaire child star's home demolished

The home of one of the stars of Slumdog Millionaire has been demolished. The Mumbai shanty home of child actor Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail was knocked down by city authorities.

City officials in Mumbai said that Ismail's family was squatting on land owned by the government, reports the BBC. Ismail played a younger version of one of the main characters in Slumdog Millionaire.

The family was living in a temporary shelter made of plastic sheets over bamboo sticks in the slum near Bandra East in the Indian city. The child star said that workers arrived to demolish the makeshift tent while he was sleeping. The family was asked to leave, along with the inhabitants of the other homes on the stretch of land. All the structures were then torn down.

"Our home has been broken down by officials," Ismail's mother, Shamim Ismail, told the BBC. "We have not been given any alternative accommodation. Earlier the authorities had said they would give us a house, but I don't think that will happen anymore."

Defending the decision, Uma Shankar Mistry, who works for the city authorities and was present at the demolition, told the BBC that the city only removed temporary or illegal homes that had been erected near the slum. He added that the homes were in an area meant for a public garden.

Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars following its release earlier this year. It has taken more than £140m at box offices around the world.

The film's makers recently announced that they will donate £500,000 to a charity that helps children living in the slums of Mumbai. Funds have also been set up to pay for the education of the film's child stars, including Ismail and Rubina Ali.

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 for holiday homes worldwide.

Related Stories
British couple win legal case over demolished villa
Shilpa Shetty buys Surrey mansion
Tenerife demolitions cause renewed Ley de Costas concernsPrint this article