Slumdog makers donate €560,000 to charity

THE makers of the movie Slumdog Millionaire have donated $747,500 (€560,000) to a charity devoted to improving the lives of street children in Mumbai.

The money will be given to Plan, an international children’s charity that has been working in India since 1979. The aim is to help educate 5,000 slum children over the next five years.

“Having benefited so much from the hospitality of the people of Mumbai it is only right that some of the success of the movie be plowed back into the city in areas where it is needed most and where it can make a real difference to some lives,” said film director Danny Boyle. Slumdog Millionaire has grossed more than $200 million worldwide.

The filmmakers’ initial efforts to help the families of Rubina, 9, and Azharuddin, 10, were thwarted by excessive media attention, the changing demands of family members and the runaway success of the film.

The filmmakers appointed three trustees to manage a trust fund for the two children. They said the children can tap the trust funds after they graduate from high school.

The Jai Ho Trust aims to ensure the pair will get a good education, adequate housing and social support, the filmmakers said.