Slumdog cash: What's the lowdown on the slowdown?

When I was looking over the BBC site the other day, I found an interesting story "Slumdog makers pledge Mumbai cash."

The story in itself seems like it would be a feel-good story, and in a way, it is. The makers of the hit film Slumdog Millionaire are donating $745,000 to a charity that will help children living in the slums of Mumbai.

That all sounds good, right? But, I thought the makers of Slumdog promised to rehouse their child stars (pictured at right) when they won their Oscar. I can't find any story that confirms that thought, but I know a friend mentioned their Oscar promise shortly after the awards show.

So, I really could be crazy about the Oscar donation promise, but the BBC story did confirm that two of the film's star were recently rehoused after criticism that they were still living in the slums even after the film's tremendous success. So, to me that says that it took other people's scorn to finally convince the film's makers to donate or at least to spur them into action. That's not incredibly impressing to me.

In the film makers' defense, though, it seems like their hearts may be in the right place now. In the BBC article Director Danny Boyle was reported as saying, "It is only right that some of the success of the movie be ploughed back into the city."

I totally agreed. I just wish it hadn't taken so long from the movie's Oscar success to the present time for the makers to donate.

**Photo taken from the BBC article. It looks like it was originally from the AP.