The slum children who starred in Slumdog Millionaire were cruising Mumbai in an air-conditioned car yesterday, doing last-minute shopping and getting advice on the unimaginable: air travel. The slumdog kids had just got the good news u2014 they were going to the Oscars
The two slum children who starred in Slumdog Millionaire -- Azharuddin Ismail (10)u00a0and Rubina Ali -- took off for Los Angeles and the Oscars last night from the Mumbai International airport.
The day was spent preparing for the dream trip. After receiving the news that they could indeed go to the Oscars, Azharuddin and Rubina cruised Mumbai in an air-conditioned car yesterday, doing last-minute shopping and getting advice on the unimaginable: air travel.
"I feel very, very, very, very, very, very good," said Azharuddin, sitting across from his home, a scruffy lean-to of tarps and blankets. He'd never been on plane. He'd never travelled outside India. And, when pressed, he couldn't name any Hollywood stars he'd really like to meet.
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Neither could Rubina, his co-star and neighbor.
Both were plucked from the slums of Mumbai by director Danny Boyle to star in Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches tale of a slum kid who makes it big. The film has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Azhar, as his friends call him, was cast as the hero Jamal Malik's brother Salim, and Rubina as the young Latika, who grows up to be his love interest.
All nine actors who play the three lead characters in three stages of their lives will attend the awards ceremony tomorrow. "The kids are on their way to the Oscars! Everyone is very excited!" Boyle said in an e-mail confirming the good news on Friday.
They include actors comfortable on the red carpet, like Dev Patel, who lives in London, and the glamorous Freida Pinto, who has been praised in Vogue as a new style icon. Others, like Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, who plays the young Jamal, live in India but did not grow up in the slums.
Friday frenzy
But for Azhar and Rubina, there was a frenzied scramble this week to get visas, passports and tickets after their parents decided at the last minute they wanted them to attend the ceremony, producer Christian Colson said.
Everything came through on Thursday when the children learned they had their visas; their passports were issued a day earlier. Rubina was traveling with her uncle, Mohideen Khan, and Azhar with his mother, Shameem Ismail.
So Friday was anything but normal for Azhar and Rubina. They were chauffeured around in a Toyota Innova with leather seats, talking to reporters and visiting a local counselling center for some advice about how not to get sick in an airplane and how to handle themselves in America.
Rubina was all smiles. "I'm very happy that I'm going to the Oscars," she said, as her aunt cooked rice for lunch. "I'm the only one of my friends who gets to see the Oscars. My friends are saying, 'Your fate is so good.'"
She said she plans to take a lot of photographs in Los Angeles to bring home to show her friends.
Her father, Rafiq Quereshi, stood by her side throughout the day, hugging her proudly now and then. He said he couldn't accompany her because he broke his ankle. "I wanted to be there," he said. He plans to watch the awards ceremony on TV.
Rubina packed her new clothes u2014 two pairs of jeans, two tops, and white shoes u2014 and watched her cousin paint fresh swirls of henna on her thin arms. She plans to get her Oscar night outfit in LA.
The filmmakers paid Rubina and Azhar for 30 days of acting work, gave the families a small monthly stipend and set up trust funds that the children can tap when they graduate from high school. Producer Christian Colson has described the trusts as substantial, but declines to reveal the amount.
Excited neighbours
News of the children's impending departure travelled fast. By afternoon, the crowd of journalists had thickened. Neighbors gathered around Rubina to watch her dance and sing for the cameras. Nearby, over 100 neighbors and reporters jostled around Azhar's house. Boys hung from a metal fence, straining to see.
"They are going to America, that's good," said neighbor Shakil Sheikh, an auto rickshaw driver.
His wife, Saira giggled at the idea of America. "Who will take me?" she asked.
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