'Slumdog' Makers Donate to Mumbai Charity

MUMBAI, April 16 -- The makers of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" have donated $747,500 to a charity devoted to improving the lives of street children in Mumbai, the filmmakers said Thursday.

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

"The bottom line is that some of the beneficiaries of the film's success have got together to make a donation which will be channeled into relatively small communities where it can hopefully have a tangible and lasting impact," producer Christian Colson told the Associated Press.

"Slumdog Millionaire," a rags-to-riches tale of a slum boy who triumphs in a quiz show, won eight Oscars and has grossed more than $300 million worldwide.

Some criticized the filmmakers for failing to share those riches with Mumbai's millions of slum dwellers. Others accused them of exploiting two of the movie's child stars, Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, who grew up in a Mumbai slum minutes from a posh Bollywood enclave.

The filmmakers said Thursday they have appointed three trustees with long experience in social services to manage a trust fund for the two children. They said the children will receive a good education, adequate housing and social support and can tap the trust funds after they graduate from high school.