Mumbai: Gully Boy, this year’s official entry to the Oscars, failed to make it to the final list. The  92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on 10th February.

The last win for India at the Oscars was in 2008, by A.R. Rahman, for Best Original Score for the film, Slumdog Millionaire and ironically, Azharuddin Mohammad Ismail, who played the role of Salim Malik in this Hollywood film, directed by Danny Boyle, has now returned to the slums after selling his flat given to him by Jai Ho Trust.

Azhar, now 21, who has lost his fame and fortune,  has been forced to go back to the slums. Six months ago, Azhar sold the 250-sq-ft flat he was given in Anurag Plaza, Santacruz West, for Rs. 49 lakh and went back to living in a slum in Naupada area in Bandra East, very close to the Garib Nagar slums where Danny Boyle first spotted him. 

Azhar now lives with his mother in a small 10×10 room in a three-storeyed building along with Azharuddin’s sister, her husband and their three children.

Nirja Mattoo, one of the trustees of Jai Ho, said, “after Azhar and his co-star Rubina turned 18, the houses were officially handed over to them and the Trust was closed. Azharuddin wanted to start his own business and for financial support they wanted to sell the house. He is an adult now and I hope he will do well in the future,” she added.

 Azhar’s mother Shameem, through the media, requested director Danny Boyle to help Azhar in these difficult times.