A lot of us may not be aware of it, but just like the Railways, there's a tatkal option available to get a passport too.
A lot of us may not be aware of it, but just like the Railways, there's a tatkal option available to get a passport too. It is this option that helped the younger children starring in Slumdog Millionaire to reach the USA just in time to attend the Oscar ceremony yesterday.
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Of the seven children who went from India, around four didn't have passports. A person closely associated with the movie said, "All the documents available with the families were taken. Some missing documents that could be arranged were arranged. The request letter for attending the Oscars with its invitation from the Academy was also submitted to the passport authorities and with all these, the passports were arranged on a tatkal basis."
Azharuddin Ismail (10), who plays the youngest Salim, and Rubina Khan (9), who played Latika in the film, were cleared to leave on Thursday. They got their passports and visa only the day before.
While it is mandatory that applicants submit their PAN card or voter ID, proof of residence, proof of nationality and photo ID, two of the children didn't have the first two requirements. "The families of the children had been told to keep ready all the documents needed for a swift passport, but two of them didn't have them all," said a source.
An official from Fox Searchlight, who distributed the film, said, "An application was given to the US government for the visas for the kids on an emergency basis. It was all finalised at the very end and at last the kids went to the Oscars. It was decided that all the kids who played the three lead characters in three stages would have to be taken to the award functions."
The Nirmal Nagar police, under whose jurisdiction the two children stay, said that in emergency cases, applicants usually request for a quick passport in writing. So, there is no verification through the police station. And there was no verification from the police station in these cases either."
Documents required for passport
PAN card/voter ID
Proof of residence
Proof of nationality
Photographs
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