MUMBAI: Two of the child actors from Slumdog Millionaire are expected on the red carpet at Sunday’s Oscars, experiencing riches and glamour a world away from their lives in Mumbai’s shantytowns. But who wins a coveted golden statuette is largely immaterial for Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who plays the young Salim.

He has more pressing concerns. The city authorities recently razed his family’s neighbourhood.

“My hope is that we’ll be able to get a house to live in,” the boisterous 10-year-old told AFP TV at the tarpaulin-covered lean-to he now calls home before leaving for the US.

Slumdog Millionaire has captivated audiences around the world with its rags-to-riches tale of true love lost and found. But concerns have been expressed that Azharuddin — Azhar to his friends — and nine-year-old Rubina Ali, who plays the younger version of Latika, still

live in poverty in the sprawling slums.

Azhar and Rubina are currently attending an English-medium school for underprivileged children and a trust fund has been set up for them until they are 18. They also get

a monthly stipend. But the money Azhar earned for filming has already gone

to daily expenses, said

his father, Mohammed Ismail Mohammed Usman, who sells cardboard to eke out a living.

“The only thing that happened was that I became well-known because of my son. That’s it. Nothing else changed. My kid became a hero and I’m living like a zero. This is my shack,” he said.

For the winners, Oscar success brings fame and sometimes huge fortune. For Azhar, the stakes are much higher.

“Other people will see me in this film — big, big people. If another good director sees me, then they may take me. This film will be very useful to me,” he said.