MUMBAI, India — The slum kid stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” want a lot of things in life — new houses, a car, trips to London and Paris — but they aren’t too interested in school.
Rubina Ali, 10, has missed nearly 75 percent of her classes, and her co-star, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, hasn’t done much better.
Their parents blame the absences on deaths in the family or other misfortunes. But the filmmakers say the children are being lured away by endorsement deals, TV appearances and other opportunities to cash in on their celebrity — at the risk of losing the money set aside for them once they graduate.
The parents were told Thursday that if the children do not get their attendance above 70 percent, they would lose their monthly $120 stipend. And if the kids fail to graduate, they will forfeit the lump-sum payment set aside to help them get a start in life.
