Notebook: May 19, 1997

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The endearing star of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1993 movie, Little Buddha, Raju Lal was a shoeshine boy when he was plucked from the slums of Katmandu and ushered into the realm of movie acting. Now his worldly success has faded (especially the money), and Raju is trolling for work in the fly-blown lanes of the Pahargunj slum of New Delhi. He earned $15,000 from the film, but he comes from a family of 11, and he claims his former agent kept part of the cash. Unable to read or write, the onetime child star does not want to return to buffing shoes. But if Hollywood has forgotten Raju, not everyone else has. French businessman Gerard Gheleyns has taken Raju under his wing and is helping find him treatment for his stunted growth. As for Raju, he's almost as stoic as the Buddha. "The world is full of struggling actors," he says. "I could become one of them, but then I may not. I have no offers yet, but I know I can act for anyone who would want me."

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