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Slumdog Millionaire's child stars to miss Oscars due to money
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by Amy Judd | February 13, 2009 at 06:24 pm
1545 views | 9 Recommendations | 7 comments
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The two children who played the young Latika and Salim in the Blockbuster hit Slumdog Millionaire will not be attending the Oscars next week in Hollywood because their parents have complained about their children being exploited by the film-makers and have now withdrew their permission for the children to go to Los Angeles. They are insisting instead that the air fares be paid to them in cash.
Christian Colson, the film's producer, told The Daily Telegraph how the unanticipated success of Slumdog Millionaire's had shaken his and director Danny Boyle's plans for the children to enjoy a long-term benefit from appearing in the film, and had led to a series of clashes with their parents over money.
Azharuddin Ismail, 8, and Rubin Ali, also 8, were both living in slums close to the railway tracks in Bandra, Mumbai, when they were cast as the young Latika and Salim in the film's dramatic opening scenes. Neither were attending school, and their families were living in grinding poverty because of their fathers' poor health: Azharuddin's father suffers from TB and Rubina's father has not worked since breaking a leg.
The money the children were paid for the movie appears to have already gone, however each child has a trust fund set up in thier name with a hundred thousand pounds each in it, but only they can access that when they turn 18.
The film is nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
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Amy Judd
Vancouver, Canada
Fred Miller
Friendswood, Texas, United States
Recommendations (9)
Fred Miller
Friendswood, Texas, United States
rumana husain
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
A. Tran
New York, New York, United StatesAnonymous user
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (7)
at 19:45 on February 13th, 2009
It's a sad story about the children who were very good. It's disturbing that the filmmaker did not even offer to pay for the treatment of their father, or at least pay the two children-actors, on par with the industry.
at 08:50 on February 15th, 2009
exploitation is the name of the game!
at 16:23 on February 16th, 2009
Too many greedy hands, are involved in the process of selling and distributing a highly supported, critically acclaimed movie like this. Everyone has their hands out as you go up the ladder, often the people whose innocent inspiration and group effort of making the film project, are so far back in the line that they are out of reach of alot of the financial benefits. Big production houses and distribution companies make a killing on the lifeblood and effort of those that write, act, and do the technical work. Its no surprise that a film like this, that was done from the heart, with a good little story becomes secondary to its financial monster and those that feed off others talents.. Wait a second I think I'm kvetching......
at 17:12 on February 20th, 2009
It is nonsense to say that the kids were exploited. They were given three times daily wages normally paid to adult actors in India. On top o that, Danny Boyle set up the fund to take care of their education and a lump sum payment when they graduate.
If all of this was not sufficient, the kids should not have agreed to perform in the movie. Noboy knew the movie was going to be a huge success. It is quite possible the movie would have gone straight to DVD and the investors would have lost their shirt.
It is so-called intellectuals and NGO-types like you that like to create a conspiracy in every good thing that happens in the world. If you care so much for the kids, why don't you become a movie producer and give these same kids millions of dollars to act in them?
It's easy to do nothing and critisize everyone who does something constructive.
at 10:36 on February 23rd, 2009
They did make it to the stage as the big winners after all ! The bigger question is, what will their lives be like after all this has died down ? Will the kids go back to the poverty and misery ? I think the makers of the movie should put aside a gross of the profits to set up a fund to create a better life for the over 660,000 slumdwellers whose story has provided new opportunities for the filmmakers in their respective fields.
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at 19:19 on February 23rd, 2009
Fred, I couldn't disagree more. You cannot force people to give to charity. It should come from people's hearts. By making statements like these, future movie producers will shy away from hiring slum kids as they would not like the daily headache of people asking them to pay more and more and more. They would be better off hiring professional child actors from middle-income or rich families who will not start demanding that the movie producers pay for their education, health and lifelong expenses for themselves, their family and the entire slum like you have suggested. How is the movie producer who opened doors that were forever closed to these kids, now responsible for the misery of the entire slum community? You got to be kidding.
at 20:01 on April 1st, 2009
This movie is a political bs joke. Bollywood meets a bad musical.