After the arclights, it's Salaam drudgery

Slumdogs are the flavour of the season but Shafiq Syed is convinced that fame can't really change your life.

You've probably heard of Shafiq he played the lead role in Salaam Bombay when he was 12. At 32, he's an autodriver on the streets of Bangalore.

Same old fate

Shafiq, who's working on a script about a street kid who ends up on the streets even after fame in a film, told MiD DAY: "Even after winning the national award for the best child actor, I was begging in Mumbai for a living.
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Now, I am driving an auto to make ends meet. Filmmakers just use us and throw us. The children in Slumdog Millionaire too will be forgotten with time, just like the way I was forgotten. I only wish the media keeps following these kids, because of which filmmakers will ensure a good life for them."

When we met Shafiq, he was waiting for passengers in an auto lane at Koramangala. Dressed in khaki the auto driver's uniform he was reading four newspapers. "I have bought these papers today because Slumdog won the Oscars. I am looking at the pictures of these kids and their families celebrating the victory. I remember my past. It is good to see that these children went for the Oscar ceremony. I hope the focus on these kids remains," he said.

Didn't like it

Though Shafiq is happy about the Oscars, he didn't like Slumdog Millionaire.

"Fr George of Bosco House for street kids took me to a multiplex to watch the film. I did not like it. It is a good,u00a0 commercial film but does not show reality. Just tell me a simple thing. How can a chaiwalla reach Kaun Banega Crorepati and speak English? We have been watching quiz shows for so many years, has any slum boy won money," he says.

He, however, lauds the story of Salaam Bombay. There, the boy Krishna ends up back on the streets and is lost in the crowd. The same happened to me. It's reality. Slumdog won Oscarsu00a0 because it was made by a foreigner," he said.

Shafiq is now working on a script based on his life.

"I ran to Mumbai, acted in a film, won a award for best actor and ended up on the streets. Now, I'm driving this auto to feed my wife and kids. Reality is I need to take care of them," he said.

Slum kids in Boyle's film will get
>>Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan has sanctioned a house each for Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali, who live in the Garib Nagar slums.
>>Director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson got them seats in Aseema, a non-profit, English-language school for underprivileged kids. The filmmakers paid the children for 30 days of work, gave the families a monthly stipend and set up trust funds that Rubina and Azhar can tap into when they graduate.
>>They have also agreed to buy apartments, but won't transfer ownership to the parents until Rubina and Azhar finish school at age 18.
>>The producers are contemplating a 'systematic protection mechanism' for the two artistes and say they will be looked after.

Awards for Salaam Bombay
1988: Audience Award, Cannes Film Festival
1988: Golden Camera, Cannes Film Festival
1988: National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
1988: National Film Award for Best Child Artiste: Shafiq Syed
1988: National Board of Review Awards: Top Foreign Film
1988: Lilian Gish Award Excellence in Feature Film, Los Angeles Women in Film Festival (tied with Elysium)
1988: Jury Prize, Montreal World Film Festival (tied with The Dawning)
1988: Most Popular Film, Montreal World Film Festival
1988: Prize of Ecumenical Jury, Montreal World Film Fest

Nominated
1989: Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1989: Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film etranger)
1989: Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1990: BAFTA Award: Best Film not in the English Language
1990: Filmfare Best Director Award

To Mumbai and back
When he was 12, Shafiq ran away from home in Bangalore and went to Mumbai. "We would beg near a dargah in Churchgate and sleep on the footpath. One day, we were standing at Churchgate railway station when someone came and asked if we were interested in acting in a drama. I went with them. A workshop was conducted and I was selected for the lead role.

"It was only after a month-and-a-half that we were told that we were to act in a movie. Manoj Bajpai and Irrfan Khan were among the people who conducted the workshop. Now they are all big people. Meera Nair directed the film and it won accolades. I won the national award for the best actor. After that, I acted in another film, Gautam Ghose's Patang which also won the national award for the best film. Then, I was back on the footpath and returned home to Bangalore."