A special screening of Deepa Mehta's forthcoming film "Midnight's Children" was organised to raise funds for a charity organisation, which operates a mobile clinic to give medical aid to underprivileged in the slums here.

The special screening was aimed at raising funds for Ila Trust founded by Reeta Devi. It was attended by Mehta, along with author Salman Rushdie on whose Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name the film is based.

Seema Biswas and Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for human resource development along with his wife Sunanda Pushkar also attended the screening.

"It takes one honest, motivated person to help better the lives of hundreds. Reeta Dev Burman is that one person. She leads a one-woman crusade to alleviate the suffering of those marginalised by society," Mehta said in a statement

"To have the premium screening of our film 'Midnight's Children' in benefit of Ila Trust is indeed an honour and a privilege," she added.

Distributed by PVR Pictures, the film is set to release in India Feb 1.