Film: Slumdog Millionaire

[L2R]

Just because it's corrupt and commercial doesn't mean it has to be a travesty.

i was more outraged when Denzel took one for training day. that was like mel gibson getting one for lethal weapon.

 

[tambourine-man]

^ lol, so true. :D

 

[RedLeader]

Exploitation

MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- On Sunday night, Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali were in Hollywood, California, getting celebrity treatment as eight Oscars were awarded to the movie they starred in, "Slumdog Millionaire."

Rubina Ali, who starred in "Slumdog Millionaire," is greeted by crowds in Mumbai, India, on Thursday.

Thursday night, the two children were sleeping at home in Mumbai, India. Azharuddin sleeps under a plastic sheet in a shantytown beside a railway track, where the smell of urine and cow dung lingers in the air. Rubina sleeps with her parents and siblings in a tiny shack beside an open drain.

The slum they live in put on a Bollywood-style welcome for the two young stars. There were music, dancing, sweets, garlands, security -- tears and tantrums -- and paparazzi.

Mumbai's Garib Nagar area, which translates literally into "poor district," put on a robust show for two of its own.

Rubina and Azharuddin have lived in a Mumbai slum all their lives. They were handpicked by the producers of "Slumdog Millionaire" for parts in the movie, which tells the rags-to-riches tale of a young boy who grew up in a Mumbai slum.

Following the film's spectacular success around the world, the producers decided to include the two young actors in the movie's Oscar experience.

The children made their first journey on a plane when they were flown to Los Angeles, California, to attend the awards ceremony. "The plane was so big," said Rubina. "I'd only seen [planes] in the sky earlier and it used to look so small."

"America was just fantastic," Rubina gushed, visibly excited after she made a dramatic entry into the slum on her father's shoulders on Thursday afternoon. "I was so excited to be on stage at the Oscars. Everyone was crying."

Red-carpet formalities done, the children were given a whirlwind tour of Los Angeles. The highlight -- a trip to Disneyland. "I loved all the rides, especially the fast ones," said Rubina.

The trip to the United States did have some drawbacks though. "The food is different over there," said Rubina. " I didn't like it. I missed Indian food."

They'll have plenty of that now that they're back home. The first thing Azharuddin did when he returned to Garib Nagar was to dig into a plate of biryani, a traditional Indian meal of meat and rice, at a restaurant. His mother, who accompanied him to Los Angeles, spoke to reporters at home -- a makeshift shelter under a tree, with a torn plastic sheet for a roof.

She said she hoped the "Slumdog Millionaire" experience would change things. "It would be nice to get a proper home." She says she has heard rumors the government may provide her family with one, but no one has confirmed any plans for a new home. "I've been praying for a new home for so long. It's all up to Allah now."

Returning to their slum, Azharuddin and Rubina were excited -- and exhausted -- by media attention that was sometimes a little overwhelming. Azharuddin burst into tears while eating lunch, leaving his biryani unfinished, his every move caught on camera.

Hoping to secure a future for Azharuddin and Rubina, the film's producers have enrolled them in a school and set up a trust fund to ensure their welfare.

"We thought long and hard about how best can we benefit them and we decided to put in place an education plan for them," said Danny Boyle, the movie's director.

"We put them in school, a very good school, which they're paid for to stay in until they're 18. If they stay in school until they're 18, a substantial sum of money is released to them then, which will effectively change their lives for the better," Boyle said.

The Telegraph newspaper of London, England, quoted their parents saying Azharuddin was paid less than $2,500, and that Rubina got about $700.


"The children were paid well," Boyle said. "The families were paid well for their work, over and above what you could pay, way over and above what you could pay."

"I hope the children get a better life after this," said a neighbor who waited outside her home all day to welcome the children home. "They've achieved so much at a young age. They deserve much better."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/26/india.movie.slumdog.children/index.html

Short version: The two kids who play the youths in the earlier parts in this movie actually were handpicked from the slums of Mumbai. They were at the Oscars Sunday and back in this slums Thursday - or as likely the other way around. Boyle is as twisted of a man as to pull off not even having to pay the kids or their families immediately, as he's suggesting on them some "education plan" that's supposed to make him seem less "about money." I don't exactly know how this story would read as a positive by anybody with half of a brain, but CNN's promoting it in a nice light.

This is just sick how they totally exploited these kids, both in the movie and now through news articles like this. Millions of people cry and hug each other after watching this movie, Boyle gets rich, and the two young actors, nor their families, were immediately rewarded for their efforts. We go back to our normal lives and talk about Slumdog over the watercooler, and these kids rough it out in Mumbai, likely without even clean water, screw a watercooler. But the average person will read it and digest it all slightly differently, differently enough to continue the feel-good party.

"We thought long and hard about how best can we benefit them and we decided to put in place an education plan for them," said Danny Boyle, the movie's director.

This quote would read better with "from" inserted between "benefit" and "them," because it's true. Danny Boyle is a f-ing heartless bastard with an agenda. I really hope other people open their eyes to the REAL stories going on with this movie.

 

[expothead]

^ you're kidding right? You think he should just give them the money and forget about them? Yep - that'll work... 8)

It's a difficult situation, no-one would deny, but I think the kids will be better off getting a decent education... and then some money.

There are far greater injustices in this world than a couple of kids playing a bit-part in a movie.

 

[RedLeader]

^ you're kidding right? You think he should just give them the money and forget about them? Yep - that'll work... 8)

It's a difficult situation, no-one would deny, but I think the kids will be better off getting a decent education... and then some money.

No....I'm suggesting that they'd be given both money and all the means necessary to obtain an education. And the money wouldn't be contingent on them finishing an education.

 

[TheDeceased]

He's right.

 

[expothead]

^ top post!

And if they were 'given' the money, do you really think the boys would actually get to spend it? Frankly, I doubt it. Their money would be gone before the boys even knew they had it.

Admittedly, making the money available to them once they turn 18 (presuming they live to that ripe age) might seem fairer, but at least this will give them some incentive to finish their education.

 

[TheDeceased]

top post!

Thanks, I stayed up all night writing it...

You're trying terribly hard to justify the immoral actions of a film-maker because you were moved by his film.

 

[expothead]

I wasn't 'moved' at all - merely entertained.

 

[TheDeceased]

Okay, then - You're trying terribly hard to justify the immoral actions of a film-maker because you were entertained by his film.

 

[expothead]

He's right.

 

[Feels]

^Top post.

 

[TheDeceased]

I should have copyrighted it.

 

[His Name Is Frank]

Have you even seen this film yet, TheDeceased? I just can't help but notice that you have more posts in here (19) than anyone else. That's really odd, for someone who didn't like the film. Even more odd if you haven't even seen Slumdog Millionaire.

 

[Psychedelic Gleam]

Have you even seen this film yet, TheDeceased? I just can't help but notice that you have more posts in here (19) than anyone else. That's really odd, for someone who didn't like the film. Even more odd if you haven't even seen Slumdog Millionaire.

I don't know I really really hated this movie after rewatching it and struggle every time I see this thread bumped not to get on and rant and rave at how painfully obvious this film was, at how typical the directing was (as someone mentioned above, like a slick highly produced music video), about how sub-par and paper thin the characters were, about how absurdly typical his portrayal of India was. This film is embarassingly "nice", vacuous and without real depth and merit, it is an easy movie, failing to challenge the viewers in a meaningful way. I can totally see why someone would repeatedly post in this thread if they didn't like it especially in the context of the over the top praise this film has found itself flooded with.

 

[TheDeceased]

Thanks^

Yes Frank, I have seen Slumdog.

You have more posts in here (19) than anyone else. That's really odd, for someone who didn't like the film.

I could say that it's odd how often you post in the F&T movie game threads... but I couldn't really be fucked going through the threads and counting how many times you posted in them.

 

[His Name Is Frank]

Thanks^

Yes Frank, I have seen Slumdog.



I could say that it's odd how often you post in the F&T movie game threads... but I couldn't really be fucked going through the threads and counting how many times you posted in them.

Yes you could say that, but it wouldn't make sense to compare the two. I'm one of the mods in here, so it would stand to reason that I post very often in many threads in here. Hell, I posted alot in here before then. Also, you don't have to count the number of times someone has posted in a thread. Just click on the number in the replies column.

 

[TheDeceased]

I accept your apology.

 

[His Name Is Frank]

Thank you kind sir.

 

[mariacallas]

That was a really nice movie. I kind of wanted to switch it off about ten minutes into the story, then before I realized it, I was glued to my seat and transported for a coupla hours. Cheesy but true. I especially loved the little kids. The little children proved that there is an awful lot of talent in the Indian film industry.

PS.
I think Dev Patel is adorable. He comes off as so serious, so absorbed and intense during the first hour of the movie that when he finally does smile, it's like a huge shock that lights up the whole screen.