AP Photo/Rajanish KakadeAzharuddin Mohammed Ismail has officially said goodbye to the slums.
The impoverished child star and his family moved into their new home this weekend, nearly one month after Slumdog Millionaire filmmakers purchased a one-bedroom Mumbai apartment for the 10-year-old.
A far cry from the family's recently demolished shanty, a bright-eyed Ismail said: "I like it here, it is really nice. But I will miss my old friends back in Bandra. Maybe I will go and visit them once in a while."
The Jai Ho trust, set up for the young stars by Slumdog director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson, provided the $50,000 to purchase the home, after the Ismails lost their shack without warning in May to a government bulldozing of the illegal dwelling.
Gratitude comes in droves for the family, who has never owned a home of their own.
"We have lived on the road for so many years," said Ismail's mother, Shamaam. "I had never dreamed that we would have a roof over our heads."
The Jai Ho Trust is still searching for a home for Slumdog cutie Rubina Ali and her family.