Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle and the trust he set up have bought a new home for one of the child stars of his Oscar-winning movie.
The filmmaker, who is currently in Mumbai, has told Azharuddin Ismail, 9, he will be re-housed after his family was made to leave the slums.
Boyle, who has been criticised for not helping the child actors enough, blamed the press for raising expectations.
“Inevitably, the tension and pressure is media generated,” he said.
He said he hoped a new home would also be found for Rubina Ali, who played Latika, before the monsoon rains in June.
“They were given access to a world, an extraordinary and glamorous world, and they understandably want their lives to be completely transformed,” he said.
Soon after the movie was finished, Boyle and producer Christian Colson set up the Jai Ho trust, which was aimed to help the children financially until they turned 18.
“The homes are a concern. That is one of the reasons why we built the trust,” Boyle said.
SOURCE : BBC News.
May 27, 2009 at 8:34 pm
[...] Here and here are the only updates to the situation I’ve seen so far. Somehow, I get the feeling that what is being given to them now is still being given somewhat grudgingly. [...]