Slumdog Child Stars Are Still Slumming It
They may be the child stars of one of the most acclaimed films at the Oscars, but the actors of Slumdog Millionaire have not seen much of the fruits of their labor.
Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail and their respective families still struggle in the grips of poverty in their native Mumbai.
Director Danny Boyle is said to have established trust funds for the children and footed the bill for their education, but it's also come to light that the children were underpaid for their work.
In an industry where actors often receive multimillion dollar paychecks, Rubina and Azharuddin were paid $1060 and $3600 respectively for a year's worth of work.
That's almost offensive!
The children still live in squalor. Most of Azharuddin's paycheck went toward treatment for his father's tuberculosis and Rubina's father is out of work due to an injury he received on the Slumdog set. Neither family has heard news of the supposed trust funds.
Despite her circumstances, Rubina dreams of being a star, like Freida Pinto, who plays Rubina's adult character. She says, "I am going to ask Danny-uncle [director Boyle] to take me to London and be in more films. I want to travel the world and wish I could still be with the Slumdog team."
The film's producers could not be reached for comment.
Come on, Boyle!
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awww! those kids were amazing in that movie and they deserve much more!
thats so cute, they call him danny uncle!
That's fucked up. Come on producers- you guys are making bank on this movie.
thansk for posting and exposing this CREEP! now Pay up dick head Boyle!
if you read some more, a fund was set up for them to go to school. and if they stay in school until they are 18, they get more money. Also, by US standards they were paid low, but not buy their local standards. they were paid the going rate. And the kids only worked for 30 days. you can't help everyone. It isn't the movie makers fault the kids dad has TB and needs treatment.
the kids were AMAZING in that film…..to know that they went from a poor village near Mumbai to this is amazing…..the film was absolutely brilliant i highly recommend it!
You stole most of this story from other places so don't act like you tried to get producers to comment on it yourself. This story was old by Sunday when the group accepted the SAG award for best ensemble in a film. They thanked the children because they HAD to — the bad press is killing them. No one remembered to thank those kids at the Golden Globes!
That is really messed up!
Boycott the film - disgraceful…
Well even getting paid a few thousand dollars in a very poor country like India is a BIG deal for them. The main actors should look at this movie as a 'stepping stone', now they will be getting bigger pay for other movies.
I'M QUESTIONING THIS STIMILUS PLAN
It's just wrong…
the people behind this mov ie should be made to pay the children accordingly. how can pple sit there knowing someone's circumstance yet continue to further exploit the exploited? shameful!
They pulled the children off the street. Literally. They are being paid in education because they felt it was a better place to put the money than giving them cash that their families could waste away. When poor children earn money, their families TAKE it. Their parents can't take their education away.
If this is the case then Danny Boyle will know very little about it.
He is a charitable man, though purposefully keeps it under wraps.
I imagine he would have left this up to someone else to arrange and that it hasn't happened - im sure that as soon as this is brought to attention he will attend to it.
thats crazy. you make more working in a Walmart for a month.
since this movie is awesome, and a BIG hit, they should pay them a LOT more. a lot.
This is vile and disgusting. This cute little film that brought so much attention to these young people should be exposed for what it really is:EXPLOITATION at is greediest. I'm boycotting.
Oh no, I hope they get paid. They were the most adorable children I've ever seen.
That's absolutely awful. I'm ashamed for both Danny Boyle (who's most likely an very wealthy director nowadays) and Hollywood. This is terrible, they should have given them both a hollywood paycheck like all other moviestars gets. Just because the actor isn't Brad Pitt doens't mean they have to get paid a low low salary for a years work.
According to Wikipedia the movie cost 15million to make and has brought in 86 million. They paid the kids like 1500$ each for their services. WTF???? That is fucking child slave labor. If this was Kathie Lee there would be a fucking lynch Mob. Liberals have a shit about the Olson twins wearing fur. They should have a triple shit about child exploitation. FUCK YOU HOLLYWOOD YOUR HYPOCRITE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!
Good Perez, I'm glad you are bringing this to everyone's attention. Let's hope the right people sit up and take note!
Re: zaniac01 – Zaniac01 Fuck you you piece of shit appologist……Its people like you that keep shit like this happening. The fact of the matter is that is Brad Pitt were working in that country they would be paying him his millions.
Musta been a british eq. contract cause SAG global rule one would never have allowed those kids to be cheated…Go Screen Actors Guild!!!!
imdb.com/name/nm0006718/
to people saying the amount they got is a lot for they're country, it shouldn't matter. that's the kind of attitude that keeps everything we use in the U.S. being made by children in other countries. oh well, they're greatful and it's cheap. if it was dakota fanning or that girl from little miss sunshine, they's get paid.
I apologize for misspellings, was typing enraged
stop being money suckers and pay these kids like if it was Harry Potter it pays more to do a real life flick that a make believe.
That is disgraceful.NEVER BELIEVE a rich man has no reason to steal or be selfish. That's how they got rich in the first place!
Re: zaniac01 – you're an idiot. Doesn't matter. They should get a better salay plus that trust fund.
Give those children what they deserve ya selfish money hungry asshole!
THAT'S JUST WRONG!
BEST FUCKING POSTER!
REPUBLICANS AND IMPOSTORS SUCK MY ASS!
Are you fucking kidding me?! This is an OUTRAGE! Everyone else except the kids are making massive amounts of money off of this. If I were the parents I would take them to court SOON.
Not every actor earns multimillion dollar paydays, Perez. I don't know why I bother. You know this..you just love to get everyone worked up.
That happens in those countries… they can't raise salaries cause that much money is enough they are poor countries as in housing, living and all is less expensive than in the states… that's enough money for someone living there—
Re: zaniac01 – Agree!!!
$3060 for a years worth of pay? you said 'almost' offensive?
COme on! How convinient to have this "rumor" circulating around just in time for the OSCARS right???? I won't be surprised if the producer's of Benjamin's Butthole or any of the other movies in the run of an Oscar are behind this… this is just dirty trash coming from the studios to diminish this movie cause they see this film as a major treaten and you all fools are getting punk'd… come on WAKE UP morons this is about Hollywood power… no one really cares about how much those kids made or not… this is about who WILL win the OScar or not! Morons!
Re: Sherry – Fuck you too you appologist…..The kids made 1500$ that isn't shit for a movie with a 15 million dollae bubget. Child exploitation is what we have here.
thats rediculous…i make more than that a year working at old navy
Re: Kate27 – It sounds like YOU need the education $$. Your comment makes no sense. Are you from the same slum in Mumbai? If you were, you'd probably prefer that your family eat today and have shelter. Yet, you seem to think it's better that some rich dude a million miles away (and that you will probably never see again) supposedly pay for your kid's college. PRIORITIES PEOPLE! Just because a person is already poor does not mean it's ok to exploit them!
Pay up FUCKERS! You owe these kids a hella lot more than that.
Sick capitalist fucks. Behind the scenes, Hollywood is scum. Rich assholes hording like dragons, exploiting kids from impoverished parts of the world. I say boycott everything associated with this film until those involved in the making of it, pay the actors mentioned, the equivalent of what any other new talent from America would have been paid. And not some stupid token fund, either. REAL CASH!!! If they don't, let it not be forgotten that these producers are pieces of shit, and thus not watch anything else they make….ever. I'm disgusted but not surprised.
Re: highboo – Re read darling re read my comments and if necessary ask someone smart to translate them for your tiny brain… you are wasting air!
almost offensive? Its sickening because Hollywood sees itself as the messenger of all things that need to be exposed in order to make the world a better place. IE; Once the problems are exposed people will work to correct all things evil in life and then the world will be a better place. But shouldn't they (Hollywood elite) set the example? Instead they go about their work taking advantage wherever they can.
Everyone seems to be ignoring the word 'trust fund' Which means the children will get the money around 18-21. Also, no figure was given for this trust fund, how much is in it?
This means THEY will get the money THEY earned. Can you imagen having that amount of money at aged 10 or however old they are? It would not be used wisely… take a look at the child stars of today?
How much does the average child star get paid anyway? (take into account they werent the main actors of the film
If the Budget was 15 million dollars, and you break it down that isnt much for a film. You have production, marketing, costume, music, writers etc.
Maybe the children wanted to be payed in Education, if the girl wants to be an actress, an education in literature and drama might help dont you think?
Rant over… say what you want
Talk about child exploitation. This is it right here- perpetrated by Westerners. On a different point, Freida Pinto was a poor choice for playing adult Latika. She's way too stiff and couldn't act a scene naturally. The other actors like Dev Patel and Anil Kapoor, and those kids were brilliant though. Thumbs down for Pinto.
IF this is true, then it is shameless usery of children, taking advantage of people and using them for your own personal gain. They deserve more for making the film maker famous. And they don't deserve it in the next film, they deserve it NOW!
Perez, you fucking idiot, Danny Boyle has already released a statement. Always behind on the news, as usual.
"Well even getting paid a few thousand dollars in a very poor country like India is a BIG deal for them. The main actors should look at this movie as a 'stepping stone', now they will be getting bigger pay for other movies."
So basically American children should get paid more because they happen to come from a wealthier nation?
Ya perez, um get the story right??? They worked for 3 days and made 3 times the average YEARLY salary for someone in there neighborhood. They also have their eduction paid for, and a large trust fund if they finish school when they are 18. Not to sound mean, but I can imagine this story being hyped up becuase people are feeding the parents ideas that the kids deserved more money. And it is being exaggerated by media like you perez. I have met you around we ho many times, and use to think you site was much better, Latley I have started losing respect for you and this blog. You don't check your facts with reputable sources and are becoming too full of yourself. I miss the guy I met a few years ago at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf by my house.
Where did you get this Fucked Up information Perez? It sounds like total Fucking Bullshit!!
Re: Kate27 – Uh, you STILL don't make any sense: "Re read darling re read my comments". Hey, anyone with a PhD in Idiot? I need a translation. Are you serious? These producers went to India and used local talent because they could get it at a bargain (just like they used to do in Mexico). Eventually the Mexicans wised up and started charging competitive wages - so now we go to places like India, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. where our filmmakers can exploit the local economy under the guise of doing productive commerce in the region. It's all a well-thought out plan and it goes on everyday. Only because this movie is a hit are we hearing about this sort of thing.
This story appeared in European media on Monday and was immediatley refuted by the producers. Don't forget Danny Boyle made the movie 'The Beach' in Thailand and when the Tsunami happened he raised extensive funds for that region even though it was years later. The producers could have just given these children cash but instead placed them in good schools and set up trust funds that they will be able to access when they are 16. I think with the Oscars coming up the producers of a few other big movies may have been talking sh*t to the media!
what an amazing movie though
Freida Pinto is fine.
Or did Boyle film in Thailand to exploit THOSE poor and desperate people too? It's a game that Hwood plays and everyone knows it, we just never talk about it because if we spin it right, we end up looking like saviors instead of the despicable greed-mongers we can be. If it were MY kid, I'd want control of that $$ rather than a stranger movie studio exec a million miles away (I'm pretty sure I'd know what my kid needs more than some dude who lives in a mansion in LA).
It would be more of a shame for these kids to be paid now for all they were worth. Ask the countless child stars whos parents spent much or everything they earned as a child by the time they were an adult, leaving them with nothing. Now these children will receive an education that they likely would not have gotten and will the will have no threat of losing their earnings to their family. Bravo Danny Boyle. Boo Perez and his sheep. BAAAA, sheep, BAAAA.
look, my kids have done small things in commercials. Guess what, they were paid under $500 each time. The main actor was paid $10,000. I didn't throw a hissy fit saying my kids should be paid more. Hell, I took off of work to take them, I didn't get paid for it. The people paying didn't pay ME as the parent, it didn't matter my circumstances. These kids are first timers…..they SHOULDN'T have been paid as much as the other actors. I still say, that it depends on the area/country. To those saying that I am an apologist and I am wrong, and my favorite "fuck you" comments…..do you get paid the same salary as an entry level "anything" compared to the senior level "anything" that has been doing the job for 10 more years than you? No you don't. That is why if Brad Pitt would ahve been doing the film he would have been paid his millions. just like any business, the movie industry is there to pay wages based on experience.
and if the movie was not up for oscar no one would give two shits about those kids or all of the others currently in the slums of India.
That's terrible! The least the bigshots can do is to pay the people that star in the films that make them so much money!
DESPICABLE.
Re: Redbowben – 30 days??? They worked for 30 days. Have you ever worked on a film or seen that film? No way they did all those opening chase scene set ups and numerous other scenes in 3 days! No way!
you guys are making bucketloads of money out of this film!
pay up bitches!
omg omg omg. that makes me so sad! those kids made me so happy in the movie! they were wonderful. they deserve so much more!
If this is true it is absolutely horrible. I saw that movie and was moved to tears and reading how little they got paid is making me want to cry all over again. It doesn't matter if the money is a lot for their village- it's the principle. If they were children from L.A. or New York this would never happen. They should be ashamed of themselves but more importantly WRITE those kids a new set of checks.
that's so wrong, it's unbelievable. They should be stripped of all oscars. did doyle not think anyone would find that simple fact out?
Perez you are so stupid. This isnt something for a gossip column, its serious. Of course the child actors (who have always lived in the slums) cant get paid loads for their work. This would lead to corruption from relatives etc. And they have set up trust funds
The average Indian income is around $900, so their salary is quite good. They are kids! So it makes more sense to invest in their education, health and future than giving them a lot of money which they have to give their parents or other relatives. Boyle has done the right thing. Don't give them too much money, they don't know how to handle it. We are talking here about India. It is not USA or another Western country. A third of the population lives under the poverty line, that means they earn under $20 a month!
Not that i 'condone' the wage, but do people in the wealthy world realise, such a wage they were paid, is 3 or 4 times higher then an average Indian worker for the year.. so imagine 3 or 4 times higher the average wage in the western world and realise how much it is worth in that particular economy, the children have educational funds set up until they reach 18 years old, like a trust fund, which is very clever, you can't take the poor and magically better, but im sure the producers have tried hard to set the future on the right path for these children, who were blessed to take part in the movie, what about the other, thousands and thousands of 'slumdogs' not one person can solve the problem, but many.
yes its a tragedy if they were in america they would be getting stoned
give the kids some money for goodness sake how cruel and exploitative
that movie was shit. typical hollywood production. the plot was laughably predictable and i have no idea whats w/ all the hype around this film. the fact that those kids didn't get paid what say, angelina jolie would have been paid had she been in the film, makes me so angry i went and paid the $7 to watch it.
$3000? OMG what a bunch of idiots. If they were stupid enough to accept it, then they need to quit whining.
cmon did you REALLY expect not to hear about this? the film industry rips off american actors and actress regularly, why wouldnt they do it to a couple of poor kids from india who dont have a union or agent or lawyers to make sure they are dealt with in atleast a semi respectable manner…he set up a trust fund for them lmao yeah right - why not just pay them a real paychek as well? 1000dollars? thats just sick.
no more wondering why all the call centers and help desks are located in inda now either - cheap CHEAP labor!
Thank god for the Internet. Years ago this sort of shit would quickly be swept under the rug and no one would know. Now we can find out about it, verify it's true and stay on Boyle's ASS until the greedy biyaatch does the right thing — pay these kids a fair wage for their work.
the kids were great in it!
but seriously the mulitmillion paychecks comparison is unfair, slumdog wasnt a big hollywood film it was a pretty small british/asian production which happened to be extremely good and therefore do very well.
dev patel was the main star and he probably didnt get paid anywhere near in the millions, his only previous experience had been skins and a lot of the cast were unknown
There are people in Bhopal, India still waiting for Dow Chemical and Union Carbide to pay them for the poisoned gas that was released, killing and injuring many.
But the sums of money paid to these child actors is not "almost offensive," it really, clearly is so.
Do the right thing.
That is awful, shameful. I went and saw the movie yesterday and the kids did the most work in the movie. Give them their fair share.
as a sag actor .. i know i would get residuals — they need to get at least 1% of all film profits
:(
Re: weeeen – thankyou. thankyou. thankyou.
okay, i understand where everyone is coming from, but these children, Ali and Ismail do not play large parts in the movie. If you imdb it, you see that Ali plays "youngest latika" and Ismail plays "youngest salim". i'm not sure how much people get paid for small roles such as this but i'm sure it isn't much, no matter where they live. so, i think this has been blown a little bit out of proportion…
.
the main guy from the film, dev patel, is british, and is a main character on the uk tv series skins (which is amazing), so i'm sure he's fairly well off…
Re: highboo – if you had a clue or even just watched the movie you might see the reasons why the childrens parents in these countries are not given control over these kids money.sorry the might be wonderful parents but then again they might be fucking bastardsd who will take the money and spend it on drugs,we dunno.but atleast with a good education and an age appropriate time to get there trust fund ,they can make there own decisions on there future not a pack of money hungry fuckers .and if it were not the parents it could put these kids in danger from asholes trying to rob them…..cop the fuck on to yourselves people.perez is full of shit and needs an education himself,somebody sould have done this for him the fat fuck