‘Slumdog’ kids shine at IIFA green carpet

MACAU - Three child stars of the multiple Oscar-winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” stole the limelight as they walked the green carpet at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event with panache.

The child stars, Tanay Chheda, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar and Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, sent the paparazzi into overdrive, clicking away furiously as the trio walked the green carpet with great confidence on the opening day of the IIFA here Thursday evening.

The kids displayed no trace of nervousness.

Chheda (who played young Jamal’s friend), Lonkar (who played the middle Latika) and Gajiwala (who played the middle Salim), accompanied some of Bollywood’s best stars and won most of the applause.

A journalist of a Portuguese newspaper was overheard saying: “I just need quotes from the ‘Slumdog Millionaire” kids. Our readers will be happy to read what they have to say.”

And the kids happily obliged.

“We are extremely excited about being here at the IIFA. We’ll get to meet so many stars,” gushed Lonkar with a twinkle in his eyes.

Gajiwala spoke to media persons about Hollywood and Bollywood.

“In Bollywood, we depict everything with a lot of colour unlike in Hollywood,” he explained.

Lead kids Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali Qureshi however were not spotted at the do. The other kids as well as actor Anil Kapoor made up for the “Slumdog…” fervour at the event.

The green carpet was held here Thursday night for the special Cirque Du Soleil show “Zaia”, a show by aerial acrobats and artists.

The green carpet was also graced by the likes of IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and other actors like Sonam Kapoor, Sushmita Sen, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Anushka Sharma.