By Zubair Ahmed

BBC News, Mumbai



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Two children from the Indian city of Mumbai who shot to fame in the film Slumdog Millionaire are set to leave for the Oscars ceremony in the US.

The film has been nominated in 10 categories, and has already won four Golden Globe awards.

Slumdog Millionaire is a rags-to-riches story of a game show winner.

Its child stars, Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, from Mumbai's now world-famous slums, have already seen their lives change.

They have been enrolled into a school and have won worldwide recognition.

The film's British director, Danny Boyle, and its producers have said they will take responsibility for funding the whole of the children's education.

The child stars - both aged under 10 years - are now getting enquiries about working in Bollywood films.

They are set to fly to Los Angeles, where they will walk on the red carpet and rub shoulders with Hollywood stars.

For the moment the pair seem more excited about shopping - a luxury for them - than going to America where they are confident the film will win all the awards.

The glamorous world of the Oscars stands in sharp contrast to the squalid conditions in Mumbai's slums but in their case life is truly beginning to imitate art.





