THE FATHER of Slumdog Millionairechild star Azhar Ismail has died of tuberculosis at the family's home in Mumbai.
Mohammed Ismail’s premature death will inevitably fuel the controversy surrounding the fate of the slum children who appeared in the movie, which has grossed more than £86 million (€98.5 million) worldwide since its release.
He died yesterday in the new flat bought for the family by the trust set up by director Danny Boyle. Azhar (10) was at school at the time and did not learn of the death until he returned home in the early evening.
In the movie, Azhar played the part of Salim, the brother of the film’s lead character. In February he travelled to Los Angeles for the Oscars ceremony, where the film picked up eight awards, and on his return to the slum with co-star Rubina Ali he was greeted by cheering crowds. The failure of the children to subsequently escape slum life has, however, been the subject of controversy in India and abroad.
Mr Ismail found himself at the centre of a media storm after he was photographed slapping Azhar for refusing to talk to journalists shortly after the Oscar ceremony.
Azhar later said the image portrayed of his father was undeserved. “I was being naughty and he slapped me like any father would. I was the one who was wrong,” he said.
Mr Ismail refused to abandon his dependence on alcohol – something he shared with many men in the slum – despite the media spotlight on his life.
But he was clearly very proud of his son’s success. “The fact that a poor man’s child has made such a name for himself, that’s what makes me most happy,” he told journalists.
Until two months ago the family still lived in the Garib Nagar slum in the Bandra area of Mumbai. A makeshift shelter that was their home until the film’s success was replaced by a slightly more substantial tin sheet structure built with the help of neighbours, but the city council later tore it down.
Mr Ismail had been ill for some time and had twice been admitted to a tuberculosis hospital in Mumbai after being turned away by another hospital in the city, which refused to admit him in case he infected other patients.
His wife said he had been unhappy with the treatment he received in the hospital and had discharged himself.
Tuberculosis remains a major killer in India. About 1,000 people die of the disease every day.
Most of the £1,725 Azhar earned for appearing in the movie was spent on treating his father’s illness. – (Guardian service)