Eight-Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, which tells the story of a young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and who wins the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, has so far earned more than $300 million at the global box office.
And now the filmmakers have announced they are to donate $747,500 of the film's profits to a charity devoted to improving the living standards for slum children living in the Indian city where the film was shot.
"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," director Danny Boyle said in a statement.
The money will be given to Plan, an international children's organization that has been working in India since 1979. The goal is to help 5,000 slum kids over the next five years, through education programs and training in good hygiene and sanitation.
"Around one billion of the world's population lives in slums and there are 100,000 new slum dwellers every day. Slumdog Millionaire has shown audiences around the world a snapshot of what life is like for one in six people on the planet," said Marie Staunton, chief executive of Plan. “Education really is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty so we will focus the funds on getting children into school, keeping them there and ensuring they are healthy," she added.
After consulting the organization officials, the filmmakers have also established a separate fund called the Jai Ho Trust. Named after the film's Oscar-winning song, the trust will hold an unspecified sum of money for two of the film's young stars — Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail — actual slum-dwellers who were cast in starring roles for the movie. The fund, which will be administered by three appointed trustees with experience in social service, also aims to ensure that the two children will receive an education, have a decent home and receive support to deal with the media attention.
