‘Slumdog’ Child Star’s Home Torn Down
The 10-year-old child star of “Slumdog Millionaire” was awakened Thursday by a policeman wielding a bamboo stick and ordered out of his home. Minutes later it was bulldozed along with dozens of other shanties.
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The 10-year-old child star of “Slumdog Millionaire” was awakened Thursday by a policeman wielding a bamboo stick and ordered out of his home. Minutes later it was bulldozed along with dozens of other shanties.
Indian police said Wednesday they have so far found no evidence that Rafiq Qureshi, the father of child star Rubina Ali of ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ tried to sell the 9-year-old girl to an undercover reporter.
A spectacular catfight between the mother and stepmother of Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali has been caught on camera. Tearing at each other’s hair and slapping each other across the face, the two women traded blows – watched by Rubina – in the middle of Mumbai’s Garib Nagar slums as neighbours watched yesterday.
The bitter fight over custody of Rubina – who was abandoned as a baby by her mother and raised by father Rafiq Qureshi and stepmother Munni – started after reports that Qureshi tried to ‘sell’ his daughter. – from Dailymail
Indian police are investigating claims and counterclaims by the parents of a child star in “Slumdog Millionaire” after a British tabloid alleged the father tried to sell the 9-year-old girl to an undercover reporter.
Indian police are investigating claims and counterclaims by the parents of a child star in “Slumdog Millionaire” after a British tabloid alleged the father tried to sell the 9-year-old girl to an undercover reporter.
The accusations further complicated the lives of the families of the slum-dwelling child stars, who have come under intense scrutiny since the movie skyrocketed to Oscar-winning fame and grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
Khurshid Begum, the estranged mother of “Slumdog Millionaire” star Rubina Ali, filed a complaint with Mumbai police on Sunday after News of the World reported that the father planned to put her up for adoption. The British newspaper said the deal was allegedly offered to one of its reporters posing as a sheik from the Mideast.
The newspaper — owned by News International Ltd., the main British subsidiary of News Corp., which also owns “Slumdog” distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures — said the father was demanding millions of rupees, worth the equivalent of $400,000.
“They should be punished,” Begum said after getting into a physical confrontation with Rubina’s stepmother. “No father should dare sell his daughter.”
- from Yahoo News
Here’s the official news on Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray specs:
Slumdog Millionaire, this year’s critical darling about a young boy from the slums of Mumbai who discovers love and fortune, arrives on Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy and DVD March 31st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Garnering top honors at the 2009 Academy Awards* including Best Picture – Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman, Best Original Song – A. R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for “Jai Ho,” and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire also won four Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy, and seven BAFTA Film Awards** including Best Film – Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Music – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy.
“A gaudy, gorgeous rush of color, sound and motion” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times), Slumdog Millionaire is loosely based on the fictional novel “Q and A” by Indian writer Vikas Swarup, which tracks the life of Jamal Malik, an impoverished child living in Mumbai’s sprawling slums. After losing his mother, Jamal (played as a teen by Dev Patel) and his brother Salim (played as a teen by Madhur Mittal) must do whatever necessary to survive. Jamal’s travels are filled with memorable encounters, good and bad, but along the way he meets another orphan child, Latika (played as a teen by Freida Pinto). When Jamal and Latika become separated, he becomes romantically determined to reunite with Latika… even if it means appearing on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Jamal begins drawing on his past experiences to answer the questions that will inevitably lead him to vast wealth and lost love. But after lasting longer than anyone ever expected, Jamal is accused of cheating and must prove to the police and the show’s producers how he knows the answers by retelling his arduous childhood in a series of flashbacks. Providing a glimpse into the tough existence of homeless children in Mumbai while juxtaposing optimism and love, director Danny Boyle’s (Trainspotting, Millions) “beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of the human experience” (Claudia Puig, USA Today). Featuring heartfelt performances by a largely Indian cast, Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel (Skins), Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal (Say Salaam India), Irrfan Khan (The Namesake, Haasil) and Anil Kapoor (Taal, Pukar). Boasting a memorable and flawless soundtrack that blends modern and traditional Indian music by acclaimed Indian composer A. R. Rahman (Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, Taal), Slumdog Millionaire also features tracks from artist M.I.A. including the Grammy nominated song for Record of the Year “Paper Planes.” Special features include commentary by director Danny Boyle, star Dev Patel, writer Simon Beaufoy and producer Christian Colson, behind-the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. The Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy will be available for $39.98 U.S. / $49.95 Canada; the DVD will be available for $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada. Prebook date is 03/04/09.
Synopsis
Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible questions. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its exuberant storytelling lies the intriguing question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love.
Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy Specs
Slumdog Millionaire will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1aspect ratio) with English/Hindi 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio. Bonus features include:
• Disc One
o Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire
o Deleted Scenes:
• Chase Through Slums Longer Version
• Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
• Prem At Police Station
• Frederick Stevens Question
• Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
• Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
• Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
• Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
• Jamal Wakes In Slum
• “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
• Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
• The Folder
o From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene
o Indian Short Film – Manjha
o Bombay Liquid Dance Music Video
o Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
o Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy
o Slumdog Cutdown
• Disc Two
o Digital Copy
DVD Specs
Slumdog Millionaire single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English/ Hindi 5.1 Dolby Surround. Bonus features include:
Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire
• Deleted Scenes:
o Chase Through Slums Longer Version
o Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
o Prem At Police Station
o Frederick Stevens Question
o Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
o Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
o Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
o Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
o Jamal Wakes In Slum
o “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
o Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
o The Folder
• Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
• Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon Beaufoy
• Slumdog Cutdown

People are going to make millions on this,so it’s the least that can happen.
Two child actors from the film Slumdog Millionaire will be moved from slums to new houses by Indian authorities. Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played young versions of two main characters, were discovered by casting agents in Mumbai’s Garib Nagar slum. There was an outcry when it was found they were still living there after the success of the Oscar-winning film. – From BBC
And they thought their good fortune peaked when they met Mickey. Two of Slumdog Millionaire’s child actors are, quite literally, slumming it no more, with the Indian government rewarding the poverty-stricken toasts of Hollywood with new homes for their families outside of the Mumbai slums. Amarjeet Singh Manhas, the chairman of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, said that Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played the youngest versions of Freida Pinto and Madhur Mittal’s characters in the Oscar juggernaut, “are special and have won laurels for the country and we want to felicitate them.” – From Eonline.com

This tip comes from a very good source that we shall call Felix, that is personally connected to the Buzz Newsroom team. Also, Felix has tripped us on other news that has panned out before; of course, we should always take tips with a grain of salt. He’s working on the ABC production team and close to Bill Condon and Larry Mark (the guys running the Oscar broadcast, respectively the director and the producer of Dreamgirls). If Bill and Larry are around, so is Felix. Here’s the text we received about 10 minutes ago, naming Slumdog Millionare as winner of Best Picture:
THINGS ARE HECTIC. RIGHT NOW THE FOCUS IS ON LOGISTICS, SECURITY AND FLOW. WE’RE WORKING ON MUSIC QUES, SO THE RIGHT SOUNDTRACK MUSIC CHIMES IN WHEN THE “WINNER” STEPS UP TO THE STAGE. IN THE BOOTH, THEY KEEP ON FOCUSING ON THREE THINGS: SLUMDOG MILLIONARE FOR BEST PICTURE, KATE WINSLET FOR BEST ACTRESS, HEATH LEDGER FOR BEST SUPPORTING. NOTHING ELSE. IVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE BOOTH, HOPE TO GET MORE INFO SOON.
We’ll you read all that here first, folks!!!!
Late Australian actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar and “Slumdog Millionaire” scooped four honors Sunday as the 81st Academy Awards got off to an electrifying and poignant start in Hollywood. Ledger, who died last year of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28, won the best supporting actor for his portrayal of Batman’s arch-enemy the Joker in last year’s summer blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” – from AFP
Kate Winslet has won the best-actress Academy Award for the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader,” while best-picture favorite “Slumdog Millionaire” has cruised to seven Oscars, including best director for Danny Boyle. A five-time loser at the Oscars previously, Winslet triumphed for her role as a former concentration camp guard in an affair with a teenager. – from AP
“Slumdog Millionaire” is the Academy Awards champion, wrapping up its ghetto-to-glory story by winning best picture and seven other Oscars, including the directing honor for Danny Boyle. A story of hope amid squalor in Mumbai, India, “Slumdog Millionaire” also had wins that include adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and both music Oscars, score and song. – from NWI

Slumdog Millionaire won the top film at the BAFTA’s – the British version of the Oscars. Check out Mickey Rourke’s entertaining acceptance speech:
Here’s more on the awards:
Director Zach Snyder has a cameo in his new Watchmen film – a photo was released – nothing earth-shattering, but kind of fun.
Brett Ratner is looking to direct an adaptation of Rob Leifeld’s iconic graphic novel Youngblood. Considering how friggin’ crappy X-Men 3 was, it makes me sad.
Val Kilmer wants to be the governor of New Mexico. Considering how many crappy films he’s made of late, getting him involved with something else will be a plus.
The San Diego Comic-Con will have some Tron 2 fun. Expect some clips and panel type stuff.
The civil war at the Screen Actors Guild appears to be waning, as the moderates have solidified their hold on the board. Avoiding a prolonged legal squabble will be best for everyone.

We can’t explain it – mass hallucination? Collective insanity? It’s fraking ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’. Did anyone watch the trailers? Did anyone read the reveiws? Did anyone actually listen to those who already saw it?
We give up. We love Paul Blart now. We embrace the awesomeness of it all. Please post the exciting news for when the inevitable sequel gets announced.
Nice to see Slumdog pick up biz.
Kevin James scored another win at the box office this weekend with his comedy ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop,’ which brought in an estimated $21.5 million. The comedy starring the former “King of Queens” star as a mild-mannered bumbling security guard had a budget of just $26 million, but has already made $64.8 million in its first two weekends in theaters. – From Entertainment Weekly
Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” rocketed up the box office chart to No. 5 after picking up top Oscar nominations, grossing an estimated $10.6 million from 1,411 runs as it successfully expanded nationwide. Sony was the other big winner of the weekend, claiming the No. 1 and No. 2 spots with holdover laffer “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and new entry “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.” “Mall Cop” declined a mere 32% to an estimated $21.5 million in its second weekend for a cume of $64.8 million in its first 10 days, according to Rentrak. – From Variety
The Kevin James comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” captured the top spot at the North American box office for a second week in a row by edging out “Underworld, Rise of the Lycans.” “Mall Cop” — which cost only $26 million to make — sold an estimated $21.5 million worth of tickets over the weekend and has now taken in a surprisingly strong total of $64.8 million in two weeks, distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday. – From Reuters
Director Danny Boyle and Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy spoke with Harry Smith about their critically acclaimed film, Slumdog Millionaire.
“Slumdog Millionaire” lived up to its underdog theme at Sunday’s Golden Globes, sweeping all four of its categories, including best drama and director for Danny Boyle. Kate Winslet won two Globes all on her own, best dramatic actress for “Revolutionary Road” and supporting actress for “The Reader.” “The Wrestler” also had two, dramatic actor for Mickey Rourke and best song for Bruce Springsteen. – From Yahoo News
During an evening that otherwise belonged entirely to HBO, “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” continued a storybook year that has practically seen each series amass more awards than viewers by accepting top honors at Sunday’s Golden Globes. AMC’s period drama set at an advertising agency became the first back-to-back winner in that Globes category since “The X-Files” in 1998 (“Desperate Housewives” did so more recently on the comedy front). NBC’s “30 Rock” swept the key comedy prizes. – From Variety
Backstage at the Golden Globes – notes and reactions from behind the scenes.
A recap of four movies from 2008 you should see in the new year.
Horror “King” Stephen has released his favorite top 10 movies of 2008 at EW — but here’s his rundown via YouTube:
10. Death Race – “Death Race is filled with laconic violence and blasting muscle cars, but just beneath the surface is a biting satire of reality TV.”
9. Redbelt – “… this is not your father’s Karate Kid.”
8. The Ruins – “It could have been ludicrous. Instead, it’s unrelenting.”
7. Lakeview Terrace – “Jackson’s performance deserves an Academy Award nod, but won’t get one. Too bad.”
6. The Bank Job – “High-tension cerebral thrills.”
5. Funny Games – “It works as a savage parody of the snuff-porn genre even as it transcends it.”
4. Tropic Thunder – “The funniest, most daring comedy of the year.”
3. WALL-E – “I don’t think it deserves a Best Picture Academy Award, but it certainly deserves to be nominated.”
2. Slumdog Millionaire – “It’s been years since the movies have produced such an affecting story about the power of friendship.”
1. The Dark Knight – “The best superhero movie ever. This is to cape-and-tights movies what Godfather II was to the gangster movie: a genre-defining event.”