Mumbai slum fire razes thousands of homes including shanty of "Slumdog Millionaire" star

The blaze broke out in slums of Garib Nagar near Bandra Railway Station, home to around 10,000 people. No one died in the fire, which swept through hundreds of tenements where Ali continued to live even after gaining global recognition.Ali, who shot to international fame for her role in Danny Boyle's Oscar winning 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire", said she lost most of her belongings including precious photographs taken during her trip to Los Angeles for the Oscar ceremony.

On Saturday (March 5) morning, wisps of smoke rose from the slum as Ali and her family sifted through the charred remains of their homes.

Ali said some official dignitaries had visited her and assured to give her help but she said she wanted the government to provide compensation to people who are now homeless.

"Here, people in the slum are sleeping outside in the open by setting up wooden blocks to use as a bed at night. Some people are sleeping at the station (nearby) while others are just sleeping here in the slum. They sleep wherever there they can find space," she said. "Here such incidents have happened before. A building nearby was gutted sometime back. Now the same has happened here. It is sad. Sometimes, our houses are demolished. At times fire destroys everything. I feel very sad about it."

Ali was eight when she played the role of the young Latika in Boyle's Oscar winning film, and her journey from the slum to the Oscar stage made international headlines.

Boyle had promised that he would provide both her and her co-star Azharuddin houses in Mumbai.

While Azharuddin moved into his new house in July 2009, Ali is due to move into an apartment within the next couple of months in Bandra, one of Mumbai's most expensive suburbs, and home to many Bollywood stars.