POVERTY

Slumdog Hush Fund

Filmmakers banish exploitation claim with cash donation.

The suggestion that Slumdog Millionaire exploited real slum dwellers tainted the 8-time Oscar winning film's success. According to The Times of London, yesterday the filmmakers announced that some of the groups that made money off the film, not including cinemas, have donated $743,000 to child poverty programs in Mumbai, a significant sum, given that 76 percent of India's 1.1 billion live on less than $2 per day. The money will go toward health education programs for slum children and their families. In addition, the filmmakers also funded trusts for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, the two child actors from Mumbai who starred in the movie.