Academy Award Winning director Danny Boyle returned to Mumbai where he met up with the child star cast of Slumdog Millionaire including Rubina Ali, Azharudin Ismail, Piyush Khandekar and their family members at Hotel JWC Marriot today.
Two of the children are in the news today due to their poor attendance records at school that could jeopordize their trust funds set up by Mr Boyle and Christian Colson to provide an education, living allowance and housing for the young stars, who grew up in the slums of Mumbai.
The Jai Ho Trust requires the children to attend school for a minimum of 70% of the time. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, who played a young Salim is only showing up at school 37 percent of the time and Rubina Ali, 10, played the role of a young Latika has only a 27 percent attendance rate.
“It’s pathetic,” said Mr Dadrawala, who blamed the children’s busy schedules for their chronic truancy.
“They are constantly going to Paris and Cochin and Chennai,” he said. “That’s fine, but go over the weekend, not at the sacrifice of school.”
