Truancy of Slumdog stars puts their trust fund at risk
A trustee for the fund established for two child actors from Slumdog Millionaire said they were in danger of losing their stipends as well as the fund itself if they did not start attending school more often, the AP reported.
After the release of Slumdog Millionaire, its director, Danny Boyle, and a producer, Christian Colson, helped establish trusts and find new homes for Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina Ali Qureshi, 10, who played the young incarnations of two of the film’s lead characters. But Noshir Dadrawala, who helps administer the fund, said Azharuddin was showing up at school 37 percent of the time, and Rubina had a 27 percent attendance rate. The trust decided that the children must raise their attendance above 70 percent or forfeit their monthly stipends of about $120.
“It’s pathetic,” said Mr. Dadrawala, who added that the children’s travel schedules were contributing to their 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.”
The children’s parents told The A.P. that their absences resulted from deaths in the family and other problems and promised to get the kids to school from now on. In a statement, Mr. Boyle and Mr. Colson said: “We are disappointed that Azhar and Rubina’s school attendance remains patchy. We have urged both families to honor their commitment to ensure regular school attendance.”
After the release of Slumdog Millionaire, its director, Danny Boyle, and a producer, Christian Colson, helped establish trusts and find new homes for Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina Ali Qureshi, 10, who played the young incarnations of two of the film’s lead characters. But Noshir Dadrawala, who helps administer the fund, said Azharuddin was showing up at school 37 percent of the time, and Rubina had a 27 percent attendance rate. The trust decided that the children must raise their attendance above 70 percent or forfeit their monthly stipends of about $120.“It’s pathetic,” said Mr. Dadrawala, who added that the children’s travel schedules were contributing to their 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.”
The children’s parents told The A.P. that their absences resulted from deaths in the family and other problems and promised to get the kids to school from now on. In a statement, Mr. Boyle and Mr. Colson said: “We are disappointed that Azhar and Rubina’s school attendance remains patchy. We have urged both families to honor their commitment to ensure regular school attendance.”
(Via ArtsBeat)
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