HONG KONG -- Despite becoming celebrities in their own right, the child stars of the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" said Sunday they still hoped to emulate the success of Hollywood's top names.

Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubina Ali, and Azharuddin Ismail, who played the younger versions of the three key characters in the rags-to-riches tale set in Mumbai, sang and danced at a Community Chest event on their first visit to Hong Kong.

Ayush, who played the child version of the film's central character, Jamal, said he wanted to be an actor when he grew up, just like his father.

"My father is an actor. He does original plays," the nine-year-old said.

Ayush said he thought Brad Pitt was the best actor in the world. "He's very cute and he's a very nice actor."

Rubina, who played the young Latika, the main female character in the movie, said her idol was "Tomb Raider" star and Pitt's wife, Angelina Jolie.

But for Azharuddin, 11, who played Jamal's elder brother in the hit film, his hero in the movie industry is prominent Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

The trio attracted a large crowd in a shopping mall as they sang "Jai Ho!", the theme song that helped win India's celebrated composer A.R. Rahman two of the eight Oscars awarded to Slumdog this year.

An Indian teenage fan was in tears after the charity event's organizers allowed her to have a photo taken with the three stars and ask for their autographs.

"Slumdog Millionaire," by director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson, is a feel-good tale about a Mumbai tea boy who rises from poverty after winning millions in a television quiz show and finding the love of his life.

The movie also attracted huge publicity to Mumbai authorities' demolition last month of Rubina and Azharuddin's shantytown dwellings, as part of a drive to get rid of illegal slums.

Boyle and Colson, who have set up a private trust for the two young stars, said they would purchase new homes for them with money from the trust.