Slumdog Kids Take a Trip, Write Books

Fri., Jun. 5, 2009 6:35 AM PDT by Josh Grossberg

Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubina Ali, Mohammed Ismail

AP Photo/Kin Cheung

Not only are they world-famous, the Slumdog kids are world-class travelers, too.

Three months after their fairy-tale trip to the Oscars, and weeks after two of them were rendered temporarily homeless, the child stars of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire—Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali—are on the go again, this time flying to Hong Kong to attend a charity fundraiser.

The trio arrived at Hong Kong International Airport Friday and were greeted by a gaggle of media as they headed to a luxury hotel. On Saturday, they're expected to perform a song-and-dance routine as part of a benefit for the Hong Kong charity the Community Chest that will air on local television.

A rep for the organization confirmed that Community Chest was paying for Khedekar, Ismail and Ali's expenses. No word exactly how much of an honorarium the kids will receive, but it's said to be small.

Ali and Ismail made headlines in recent weeks after their shacks in the Mumbai slums were razed. News that Ali and Ismail were dislocated spread around the globe, prompting a visit from Boyle to make sure the children were being properly cared for and had new places to live.

Ali meanwhile appears to be taking financial matters into her own hands.

While she hasn't yet reached double digits, the young thesp is already writing her autobiography. A memoir titled Slumdog Dreaming is scheduled to hit bookstores in the U.S. and U.K. July 16 and will see Ali recount playing with friends besides Mumbai sewers, her Oscar adventure, family life and her newfound fame.

As for Khedekar, who does not reside in the impoverished areas depicted in the film, he had one thing on his mind: a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.