Slumdog Star's 'Illegal' Home Demolished

Mumbai officials tore down the home of Slumdog Millionaire child star Azharuddin Ismail, calling the slum dwelling illegal construction. Ismail’s mother says the family lived there 15 years before police arrived unannounced. “We didn’t even get a chance to remove our belongings,” she tells the Telegraph. The government had promised them a new home after Ismail returned from the Oscars a hero.

The family was left in the hot sun, clinging to plastic bags with their meager belongings. Ismail hugged a Slumdog movie poster signed by director Danny Boyle, who had handpicked him for the film. “I wish Danny-uncle would come,” he said, describing his fear when cops threatened him with bamboo sticks. “I wish I could go back to America.” (More Slumdog Millionaire stories.)