A few days ago I wrote about how 10-year-old star of Slumdog Millionaire, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, is now homeless. I just can’t stop thinking about how insane it is that this kid (and his co-star Rubina Ali) are still poor. Then last night I watched a story about them on Dateline NBC that reported that the kid’s parents claim Azhar got paid the equivalent of $2,400 dollars for the film and Rubina just $710, but the filmmakers say it was substantially more. $710!? Oh God, please say it was indeed substantially more. And if it was, why didn’t that money go toward finding a home that isn’t filled with sewage water?

The Dateline story broke my heart, especially when adorable Azhar said: “I thought that after the shooting was done, I would become a movie star.” Yea, no kidding. I would too if I went from a poverty-stricken shack to the Academy Awards.

Danny Boyle and his crew did get the two kids in school and apparently have $50,000 waiting in a trust for them that will be released when they are 18. But Azhar’s family says they have their doubts. Sadly, these kids could use the money now, but Boyle thinks “if we give them a lot of money now you know, which the film could afford to give them, it won’t do anything. It’ll just vanish.” Really? Well, couldn’t they give them a little something now? Like maybe a house made of something other than throw together tin? Noshir Dadrawala, one of the trustees recently assigned to manage the fund, said they are working on housing and the filmmakers recently announced they will be donating $745,000 to Plan India, an organization that helps slum children in Mumbai.

And as if terrible living conditions weren’t enough heart ache for Azhar and Rubina, they have also experienced quite a bit of drama caused by the intense tabloid coverage. The Jai Ho trust has since hired a social worker to watch over Rubina and Azhar. Dateline talked to Paul Petersen, a former child actor from the Donna Reid and now the founder of a child star advocacy group called a Minor Consideration. Peterson warns that there are dangers of altering kids’ lives by plucking them off the streets and putting them in Hollywood. Peterson said “excuse me, it’s a $300 million picture. Get the family out of the slum. Give this child a chance. I’m telling you, there are a lot of people in this movie who have had a significant change of address. These children should, too.”
Paul, I couldn’t agree more.

(Watch the Dateline NBC story after the jump)