Members of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ cast return to jubilant crowds in Mumbai

Hundreds packed the Mumbai airport today to welcome back the child stars from “Slumdog Millionaire,” which walked away with eight Oscars — including best picture and best director — on Sunday.

Armed police were needed to escort the children through the cheering crowds, according to the Associated Press report:

“They waved and blew kisses to the crowd, showing off their newly acquired red carpet skills.

“Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, 8, who plays the youngest version of Jamal, the main character in the film, was hoisted onto someone’s shoulders before the children where whisked away in waiting cars without talking to waiting reporters. It was not immediately clear where they were taken.

“With the film’s success, the children have become instant celebrities in movie-crazy India, particularly Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, who were plucked from slums to play parts in the film.”

While in Southern California, they stopped at Universal Studios Hollywood before the Oscars last Saturday and then headed out to — where else? — Disneyland the day after.

And according to Intelligent Travel, National Geographic Traveler’s blog, tours to India’s slums are a hot ticket.

“There was a time when most travelers tried to avoid the dicey parts of town,” says National Geographic Traveler contributing editor Margaret Loftus in “Slum Tours: Real or Real Tacky?” “But an increasing number are now seeking them out on so-called reality tours. From Rio’s favelas to Mumbai’s Dharavi slum to Nairobi’s Mukuru district, the trend is gaining steam as the latest frontier in travel.”

— Mary Forgione, L.A. Times staff writer

[Photos: Child actors Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (top) and Rubina Ali (bottom) are welcomed back Monday on their return to a slum in Bandra, in suburban Mumbai. The children were returning from the U.S. where they visited Southern California during Oscar week. Credit: Rajanish Kakade / Associated Press]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 12:16 pm by Mary Forgione and is filed under Asia, India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.