Slumdog Millionaire – The Musical?

A day after sweeping the Academy awards, Slumdog Millionaire producer Christian Colson is ensuring that the children featured in the film are not left to fight life’s battles on their own.

The producers are planning a stage musical of the eight-Oscar-winning film to raise funds for Mumbai’s slum kids.

A fund set up by the filmmakers has already generated close to Rs 3.6 crore for the children. And if plans for cover versions of Rahman’s songs came to fruition, the money raised could multiply many times over, he told The Times, London. The funds would be ploughed back into the slums where the movie was filmed.

Also, plans to safeguard the future of two children from the slums — Azharuddin Mohammed, 10, and nine-year-old Rubina Qureshi — who attended the Oscars  with six others from better off families, are being re-examined. He told The Times that producers wanted “something more professional” to be put in place.

“The profile of the film will remain high — we can’t assume attention on these children will drift away,” he said.

Boyle said the children also enjoyed their trip to Disneyworld and the Universal Studios. As soon as they got to the hotel, they jumped into the pool fully clothed.

The warm reception for the crew at the Oscars caught even the producers by surprise. Hollywood star Will Smith, for instance, went up to meet Madhur Mittal, who played Dev Patel’s brother in the film.

Source: Hindustan Times