Boyle miffed with Slumdog actors

Filmmaker Danny Boyle leaves India refusing demands for cars and more money from Slumdog actors. Naomi Canton and Neha Sharma give us the details.

Slumdog kids are getting greedy. And filmmaker Danny Boyle is not liking it. Last Thursday, Boyle left Mumbai upset after his child actors put forth more demands — Azharuddin Ismail is now demanding a car, and Rubina Ali wants Rs 15 lakh more. Rubina’s father, Rafiq, had asked for Rs 40 lakh for a flat, of which Rs 25 lakh has already been given to them. On Thursday, Boyle turned down both requests.

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The trustees of the Jai Ho Trust (set up by Boyle to provide for the two actors) also passed a motion that if Rubina’s family did not purchase a flat by January 2010, using the Rs 25 lakh allocated to them, the money would be given to another charity. “The children are making far more demands than they should, but I guess it has to do with the circumstances they are living in,” says Trust spokesperson Noshir Dadrawala.

Dinesh Dubey, spokesperson for Rubina and Azhar says, “We have been looking for a flat in Bandra (East and West) but there’s nothing below Rs 32-40 lakh. The children had also asked Danny Boyle for cars. Why not? Now they have a name, and people ask them kahan hai swimming pool waala bungalow.” Not just this. Designer Leena Singh confirms that the kids have also got the flats she had requested for, from the government. However, Dubey says, “Those flats are at a place very far from the kids’ school.”