Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson met with the families of the two impoverished child stars who’ve been evicted from their Mumbai homes in recent months. But the father of Rubina Ali, 9, stormed out of the meeting, angrily claiming that the children had been abandoned by the filmmakers. "It has been five to six months," Rafiq Qureshi told the AP. "Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money. If you really want to get us a house you can get us a house in two days."
Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, were handpicked from the infamous slums to play the young stars in the Oscar-winning film. "We’ve been trying for a long time to move them into legal accommodations," Boyle said.
The filmmakers set up a trust aimed at ensuring the children get proper homes and decent education, and they have pledged to spend up to $100,000 to buy the two families new apartments, according to the article.
I think it’s wonderful that the filmakers are trying to help and I hope they do, but I really don’t understand this attitude on the parts of the families of the child actors that Danny Boyle and co. are somehow obligated to help? Were the children not paid for their work?
The families of the innocent children are vile. No matter what they will be given, they will be dissatisfied. That is their nature.
The families of the innocent children are vile. No matter what they will be given, they will be dissatisfied. That is their nature.
I believe that in choosing to cast children who were truly ‘slumdogs’, Danny Boyle and Christian were tacitly agreeing to change those children’s lives forever. Otherwise, what’s the point, just cast some cute child actors…?
I don’t get what the hold up is in purchasing a couple of apartments – the profit margins in the movie are off the charts and spending $100K for each child should get them a lovely and safe place to live.
If the parents are creating a stink and expecting mansions and such then that is another matter entirely, they may be what is holding the process up. If that is the case, Danny still needs to think of the children overall and just tell the parents they’re reaching too high, and buy the apartments – the parents can sell if they dislike the place or can live there and grumble about it, but I hope they’d be grateful and satisfied with what is being offered.
IF the parents were doing their job, none of this would be necessary. Obviously the parents (especially the so-called dad) are not too bright and cannot be trusted to take care of the money their children made.
The children were in the movie, got paid for it and someone cared enough to see that they would still have that money when they got old enough to decide what to do with it instead of letting the parents leech it away now.
The kids were paid for the job they did…and honestly, the producers aren’t required to look after the kids for the rest of their lives. Anything done beyond that is gravy for them.
They were actors paid for the job they did…..they were NOT adopted by the makers of the movie!
I don’t understand why the filmmakers are always the ‘bad guys’ in these news releases. How long do they have to be responsible for these children? Does Danny Boyle have to financially provide for them for the rest of their lives? I feel sad that their living situation is so desperate, but I feel like constantly blaming this on the filmmakers is really unfair. And it’s getting old – the negative publicity is doing nothing to help their cases.
IF the parents were doing their job, none of this would be necessary. Obviously the parents (especially the so-called dad) are not too bright and cannot be trusted to take care of the money their children made.
The children were in the movie, got paid for it and someone cared enough to see that they would still have that money when they got old enough to decide what to do with it instead of letting the parents leech it away now.
The kids were paid for the job they did…and honestly, the producers aren’t required to look after the kids for the rest of their lives. Anything done beyond that is gravy for them.
They were actors paid for the job they did…..they were NOT adopted by the makers of the movie!
Why is it Danny Boyle’s responsibility to take care of these children?
I cant stand when people get on these talk-backs and act like they know what life is all about. Maybe the father could help his child if he was given the oppurtunity to, but in mumbai or any country with extreme poverty it is very hard. You can work 80 hours a week there and only bring home maybe the amount of two american dollars, less then that. The producers of this film should of known better to take advantage of these children in the first place. If these kids were white, no one in this talk back would be saying a negative thing about the parenst, or indeed if they were american!
So Danny Boyle has become a surrogate father? Do this, do that. Buy this, buy that! Surely he’s not responsible for India’s socio economic development as well?
Is this the same man that tried to sell his daughter? I think the film maker should have used real actors, instead of teasing this family with what they will never have: a life out of poverty.
Shakespeare wrote: “I cant stand when people get on these talk-backs and act like they know what life is all about.”
Based on your comments, this means you can’t stand yourself. That must be tough…
…I’m getting the impression that these parents will never be satisfied.
Of course he is not expected or responsible for these two children. But, they did help to earn him an Oscar and in the grand scheme of things, in Boyles world, the 100k set aside is maybe what 1k might be to you or I. That said, the “trust fund” is an excellent way to keep the money to help the kids and not to help the parents. Truth be told, the father more than likely would blow through the money and years later, the kids would have no money for college. Any educated person would have done this. I assume the father stormed out because Boyle will not allow the father direct access to these funds. I have a sister who is a drug user and a heavy drinker. When I came into a rather large amount of money I had my attorney setup a small account for her that allowed her money at the attorneys discretion. Same concept.
What you forget is this: If the children were child actors in the U.S., the money would go into a trust fund. I’m sick of this dad begging and blaming Boyle for their troubles. They had troubles before Boyle. Both children are getting commercial work and acting work. The dad is an A***.
I read somewhere where Rubina is having anxiety and depression over this. Someone needs to adopt the kids and take them away from their parents temporarily.