"Slumdog" Kids Back To School, One Taken Ill, Father Demands More Cash (PHOTOS)

In the week since "Slumdog Millionaire" won eight Oscars, the child actors have gone to Disneyland, arrived to a heroes' welcome in Mumbai, and tried to go back to their previous lives.

Two of the kids, Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali, have returned to their homes in the slums. They have also gone back to their English language school, the tuition of which is part of their film payment.

On Friday Ismail was photographed getting hit by his father and as of Sunday, had taken ill, vomiting and with a temperature of 103 degrees:

He has been prescribed antibiotics by doctors, who said he is suffering from fever and exhaustion, but his condition has continued to worsen.

Azhar's neighbours have also rallied round to build an 8ft by 5ft metal structure for him to sleep under out of the sun.

The families of the two child stars have said their children are not readjusting to life back in the slums after five days of glitz and glamour in Los Angeles.

Mother Shameem Ismail said: "It has all become too much for him. He is very ill and has not recovered from going to America and all the media interest since we got back."

His father is also saying he wants more money for his son's film role. In addition to school, the kids were paid for their work and have trust funds set up for when they turn 18.

Azharuddin's father Mohammed, who lives in a shack, has tuberculosis and earns less than £40 a month gathering wood, said it was 'not enough' and that film director Danny Boyle should hand all the money over immediately...

He said: 'My son has taken on the world and won. I am so proud of him but I want more money.

'They promised me a new house but it hasn't happened. I'm still in the slum.

'I want the money now, it is of no use later. Mr Boyle should take care of my son.'

Meanwhile, both Rubina and Azharuddin continue to wear their Oscar clothes and pine for life in America:

For Rubina, the highlight was her new pale blue dress, which she is still wearing. She says: "When we got to America, Uncle Danny (Boyle)) arranged for some clothes for us. I had never been given so many clothes. I picked out seven dresses and four pairs of shoes. I felt so special in my party dress that I never want to take it off. I felt like a princess walking down the red carpet."

Rubina also said:

"I don't want to sleep on the floor anymore. I want a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo. I have seen what it is like in America. Here, there is garbage everywhere, people get angry, swear and shout. I have realised how bad life is here. I just want to get out."

PHOTOS OF THEIR WEEK:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Back at school Saturday February 28

Comments

[DeDe321]

"Mr Boyle should be taking care of my son." That comment annoys me to no end! Mr Boyle has given those children opportunitie they would naver had had. And I doubt very seriously Danny Boyle promised those familie homes. He did not hire these children to have them continually nipping at his heels for "More." They get a monthly allowance, an education, and a trust fund available to them at eighteen. Whats so unreasonable here?

[poppii]

I don't see why you would be annoyed by this comment.Danny Boyle etc by his own rechoning has only paid Rubina Ali $500 for her part.The school is free but there is a trust fund at the end of it.
We have seen media reports quoting Danny Boyle and Colson promising some kind of home so the father is right to be cross.

Obviously these kids were not paid for their part .The assumption his that these were slum kids so need less.Then the trustfund is at the end of the schooling which I agree with.I agree with Danny Boyle not to give them money but a house was promised and its not forthcoming because you can't get a house for £20,000 in Mumbai and thats what they want to give.

Actually......considering the amount of money thrown at African countries and people decades at least these kids worked to earn something and its like they need to be grateful for the largese of peanuts.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3193186/

[OldmanRespect]

I find it interesting that the father reportedly isn't demanding new housing, he's only asking for money. It turns out that the producers did offer the parents new clean housing but it was rejected, demanding cold hard cash instead.:

:"It's a really difficult situation that's spiraling out of control," Colson tells EW. "We've had to constantly reevaluate the challenge of: If you want to lift people out of poverty, how the hell do you do that?" According to him, the children's parents rejected the filmmakers' offer to move them from their makeshift shacks into proper apartments, demanding instead payment in cash. "Nothing would be easier than to throw money at this," says Colson. "But we felt from the beginning that that would be irresponsible." So he and Boyle (with input from the film's U.S. distributor Fox Searchlight) have hired local Indian social workers to help negotiate a solution that will relocate the families into safe and clean housing. Colson can't say how soon they'll resolve the matter, but he promises he won't quit until they do. "We are committed to this," he says. "We'll still be on this in two or three years. And you can hold me to account on that."

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/03/slumdog-creator.html

[spring55]

This is indeed good news. Hope they are able to sort it out. It is easy for us to judge people. But I think what we are dealing with is people who are not used to suddenly getting a whole lot of money. It would be like throwing money at a homeless guy and he doesn't know what to do with it. I can tell you this much, it is easy for western world to get outraged at 'how could the indian middle/upper class let these people live like this..' But telling from experience, sometimes it is hard to lift them up..there is no effort from their part. When I visited family in India, I was told to give help in kind, or donate to the local charities and not give away extra cash to the cook or the nanny or the maid employed. Sometimes I ask the little girls..shouldn't you be going to school, and I was told the parents took them out of school so they can work. That's why a lot of the social charities try to go at the root cause of the problem, enable the rural areas so you dont come try your luck in the city and land in the streets. Well, enough from me :).

[poppii]

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

If interested people you wish to comment and to aid this issue I feel that you can on the Foxsearchlight site .Here is the link.
I do believe Danny Boyle and Mr Colson have done things the right way in not just throwing the money at them but instead providing an education and trustfund.If they provide a reasonable house with stipulations they will accept it because from all accounts they are despairing in that slum .
Its a slum and not even an idiot would want to stay unless forced to.
Azhars father seems to be more vocal but Rubina's father is happy to recieve anything and is extremely grateful to Danny Boyle in every single interview I have seen and read .He makes a point to thank him.Rubina is always chatting about her Danny uncle and I think its so sweet .I had to laugh.She said she hoped that other directors would come from London and Hollywood and work in India,She said America was amazing and the people were beautiful .I think she could be an ambassador or something and she is only 9.

[Ningtyas]

There are too many conflictings report, its difficult to tell which one is right.

According to Colson, the children's parents rejected the filmmakers' offer to move them from their makeshift shacks into proper apartments, demanding instead payment in cash.

But is that true?

http://www.zeenews.com/Entertainment/Movies-Theatre/2009-02-24/510392news.html
Azharuddin father quoted as saying : "I have got nothing except promises. If I had got the new home I was promised, would I still be living here?”

[Ningtyas]

another conflicting reports.

Colson said : ‘We can’t buy the properties outright and give them to them, because in all honesty they will sell them,’ he said. ‘What we are doing is to acquire the flats for them, near the community where they fit in. ‘They will be held in trusts and ownership will only be released to the parents when the kids turn 18 and have completed their education."

Rubina's father said : ‘It means so much for us to get a proper flat. For three generations we have been living in this slum and we might finally get out of here. It is not a proper place to live and it is always under threat from demolition.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1154667/Boyle-takes-Slumdog-children--film-bosses-pledge-buy-poverty-stricken-families-new-homes.html

Azharuddin's father said "We cannot live like this under the threat of demolition. If my home is broken down by the BMC again, we will have nowhere to go. We have been told that we may be getting a free flat sometime, but we need it now."
Azhar himself said : "I want some proper place to live with my parents."
http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090085441

Suddenly Colson changed his version. "the children's parents rejected the filmmakers' offer to move them from their makeshift shacks into proper apartments, demanding instead payment in cash."
Really?

[spring55]

All old news..what I suspect is the producers are probably trying to get them housing. The housing place quoted in your zee news url, is on the outskirts of the city that would be more affordable. But probably the parents dont want to move that far. And so they want the cash thinking they can manage the housing through their own sources...which are probably not trustworthy...I suspect there is negotiations going on both sides. I do believe..at least I want to believe, they are trying to relocate them someway..So the hollywood insider link seems more credible. All I can say is, any producer will now think twice about casting kids from the slums..and maybe they shouldn't. This is far cruel on the kids..this prince and pauper story. By the way, not wanting to go off topic here, but I am amazed at a substantial chunk of my indian american friends who are "embarrassed" about the movie and wont go see it in theatres. Same attitude with a lot of middle class families in India..guess reality hurts.

[VictorianNovel]

whoops I meant to write :repeating yourself

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Actually, I wasn't repeating myself at all.... But if I am going to be accused of repeating myself, I might as well go ahead and do it.... This is for you:

The fact is that these 2 children from the slums....are the only thing that saved this picture from being a modern day version of a Minstrel Show...

The children from the slums are a different caste/class than the middle class... To have middle class actors portray those of another class in the US is now seen as being very culturally insensitive... What is the difference between a White Middle Class Actor portraying a Black Child, and a Upper/Middle Class/Caste actor portraying a slum child? All of these people are born into their social situation and that is not easily changed.

The movie was widely thought in India (and elsewhere) to be exploiting the people of the slums, and the retort by the filmmakers was that they used real actors...therefore making it not as offensive to the lower class.... Just like making a movie about blacks in Harlem in the 1930's would not be as offensive if they actually used black actors. If such a movie had used white actors portraying poor blacks, it would be extremely offensive... as this movie is extremely offensive without these kids saving it.

[spring55]

I am not sure your view that middle class kids would not play the lower class roles, is correct. See this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayush_Mahesh_Khedekar (this is the youngest jamal). The cute kid, he was already famous doing commercials and bollywood films. So was the most of the middle kids, the middle-jamal is also quite popular and has another long running movie. The middle latika and salim were auditioned from local schools. In fact the middle salim is from a posh locality of mumbai and had to be apparently trained to talk in the slum dialect.

I can tell you why the producers used the littlest jamal and the youngest latika (azhar and rubina). Perhaps they were looking for real authenticity - Danny boyle is known for that. Perhaps they were cheaper given the film was low budget. Who knows, it is obvious he did not understand the ramifications.

[VictorianNovel]

notconfindtweenhatnboots,

How many times have you posted on here? You're also replacing yourself a lot.

[ttyy]

But I was just getting used to being self-righteous about Darfur. Now we gotta change countries again???

[Ty90]

People are saying that the child should be beaten because he is supposed
to bring in money to help get his family out of such conditions as they are in
and I find that absolutely sickening.

The father shouldn't have brought a child into the world in the first place, knowing
how downtrodden and poor they are. It's disgusting to give life to kids and then sit
on your pathetic behind and expect them to support you.

It's just like people having kids they can't afford and happily living off of government aid,
without doing anything to better their situation.

[SenecaV]

Exactly right..Thats why Palestinians shouldn't have so many kids. They are irresponsible to bring all those kids when they don't even have a nation for themselves. They need to abort ASAP.

[Ty90]

Nope 'Senece', just need to wear a condom and the women need birth control.

It's as simple as that!

[PWM]

By that logic the Jews should not exist as they had no country for over 2000 years.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Apparently, since there isn't that much ability to do proper family planning in the slums... the India gov't decides to go the other route to controlling population.

Which is why children in India have the highest childhood mortality rate in the world.. Only half of the children born in India survive until adulthood... Happy now?

[spring55]

http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/11000015/India-lagging-on-goals-to-redu.html?d=1
Please have your facts correct before making sweeping statements."According to a Unicef report, the mortality rate of children under five years was 76 per 1,000 births in 2006." That is less than 10%. India does have a vast middle-class with good schools and colleges. The Indian government has periodic vaccination drives in the slum areas, they even tried to relocate them to houses (only to have it re-leased and coming back to the slums). They even have schools..but folks take their kids out of schools and send them working as servants in middle-class homes. To make money. Problem is too many people migrating to the big cities in search of dreams. No jobs in the rural ares. Sometimes I think the top 40 forbes has a lot of rich indians. The bollywood stars earn millions. Why can't something be done..maybe it is a complex issue.

[KeepMeLearning]

Your post demonstrates how little you understand the poor.

[PWM]

Poor people are allowed to have children. Rather than condemn the father why don't you try to help instead. Anyone can condemn.

[mgbodden]

"I don't want to sleep on the floor anymore. I want a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo. I have seen what it is like in America. Here, there is garbage everywhere, people get angry, swear and shout. I have realised how bad life is here. I just want to get out."

I guess they didn't get a chance to visit New York City while they were here.

[Rjchinook]

LOL I almost spit my coffee out on my screen!

[ttyy]

I am so glad I don't live in NY anymore.

[spring55]

Exactly..the glitz of hollywood is not reflect of what you find in East LA either..guess they should have been given the rounds of the other side..and not spoilt like cinderalla on ball night. And now there is no prince coming along. However having said that, Danny boyle deliberately sought out slum kids without the ramifications of how this can uproot the only life they have known so far. Next time, get real child actors, producers ! And instead, give a proceeds of that money to the charities that support the homeless around that area. Now everyone has landed in a quagmire..these people are the poorest of the poor. We cannot expect the father to suddenly get an apartment and start living normally. Who knows if he can even read and write. I dont think there is concept of foster homes in India..but the child should be placed with some of those agencies, the dad rehabilitated and given some small job, so when and if they are given a place to live, they can live their lives.

Right now, the kids just got over their disney trip..and the reporters are exploiting every emotion possible with those pathetic pictures..So yes, everyone is to blame.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsKNVhYS7oY

I've never seen anything like this in NYC...

[patnb]

This movie made hundreds of millions of dollars. It is revolting that these kids are still living in those conditions.

They should have A LOT money put in a trust for when they turn 18, and A LOT should be paid to them now so they can grow up in safe, healthy conditions. Special arrangement should be made so the money is protected from possible misuse by parents. If the father is beating the child on the street, I wouldn't trust him. They need to pay this child in such a way that the child's interests are protected and insured.

[JinChicago]

i concur

what good does a trust fund @ 18 do, when they have less than a 10% chance of making it that long w/o better support from the guy who MADE MILLIONS and got 8 OSCARS off the backs of these kids

danny boyle= sweatshop of the worst kind!

[limber]

Wait, what?!

Where are you getting the idea that 9 out of 10 kids in the Mumbai slums die before the age of 18?

[ttyy]

Did you do anything to eradicate poverty today. You are projecting your own guilt onto these filmmakers because YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING.

It's always someone else's problem. Danny Boyle is just as responsible for these children as you are.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Bu//..... Nike, the Gap and other companies are much more responsible for the exploitation of children in the 3rd world, because they directly profit from using their labor...

The American Consumer is guilty as they buy the product that are made by exploiting the child...

Which means that everyone should indeed NOT buy a ticket for this film.... Boy cot.

[Keharuman Siagian]

After taking advantage by exposing the slum life of Mumbai kids, Hollywood has to do something to bring those kids' life to a better level. Hollywood just has to do that as a moral obligation. It is rude and cruel to place those children under giant spotlights and to introduce them to all the glamours and not long after, placing them back into the ghetto. Those kids are not cinderella. Their life is not just a story. Shame of you, Dan Boyle, if you can sleep well on your comfort your luxurious house while Rubina can only be dreaming about sleeping on a proper bed!

[Kasanne]

I say get a good lawyer and sue Fox for as much as they can. These kids deserve 2 million each for their roles since the movie is set to make $ 300 million or more world wide. Isn't that what happened to Broke back mountain? It was a low budget movie which ended up making much more money than originally thought. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and others threatened to sue for more money and indeed were given a bigger share of the money. This children played a big role in the movie. That littlest boy is such a good actor. They deserve more than what they got. 2 million should set them up for lifeor atleast a long while. Of course trustees should be appointed to supervise it. Those relatives may run away with it.

Those children are so beautiful, their smiles light up the room. Hopefully they get more work and can get themselves out of abject poverty. Every one deserves a break.

[spring55]

Ok..guys..one piece of good http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090085577085577 hope it is true. NDTV I guess is Indian cable channel.

[SenecaV]

Thats just a small role and Bollywood doesn't pay them enough to get out of the slums

[lisabanks]

I just saw this movie and absolutely fell in love with these kids, so yes give them visas.

[OldmanRespect]

notconfindtweenhatnboots and SenecaV, I've just realized that you two have been spending a lot of time on this message board. You're obviously not winning over those who think differently than you, and instead of spending hours commenting on this issue, why don't you actually donate money to charities that help street and slum children? The producers and the film distributors have put together a fund to go towards charities that help street children of Mumbai, as well as paying for the two child actor's college tuition. They have tried sending money over for housing, but that disappeared. That's more than what you've done (I'm assuming, correct me if I'm wrong).

I see you're passionate about this issue, but you're going no where with it.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

You are making a lot of assumptions there old man..

One of them is that no one cares about these kids... and that no one is going to care about them...

And that everyone thinks that since the "contract was fulfilled" they are owed nothing else...

Another is about the content of my character... Well right back atcha... Why don't you step up to the (collection) plate...

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10324

[maddie0001]

Thanks for the link. It's easy to focus on a couple of cute kids but it's unrealistic to expect Danny Boyle (or even Rupert Murdoch) to singlehandly end poverty in India.

[SenecaV]

What makes you think I don't already. Moreover, Its a totally a different situation expecting others to do charity vs others to be fair towards people who have made you extremely wealthy.

People here instinctively know something is not right... Thats why they are here voicing their outrage.

[wildsierra]

For God's sake, buy these kids a decent place to live. They were what made the movie so great.

[Ningtyas]

Yes. the controversy will die down if these kids are moved to a better place to live.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

Children's charities which help those in the slums of Mumbai should share in a percentage of the profits for this movie... That would be the fair thing, since this movie is such an unexpected success...

But really... what are the chances that that hyp o crite, Ruper t Mur doch would ever share anything with people of the 3rd world? If it's fair, he won't do it...

[Lakme]

I think very few of the non-Indian posters on this thread realize how small a sum of money is required to lift this family out of poverty.

$100 a month will let them live in dignity, $200 a month will put them squarely in the Indian lower middle-class. An annuity fund of $30,000 will yield this level of income. Incidentally, if every person who has commented on this thread forked over $30, that should fund it in full!

$20,000 will buy a modest one bedroom home in a nice middle class (not fancy) neighbourhood. That's $20 for each person who has commented on this thread!!

Some of you may recall that the father asked for the amount of the airfare to Hollywood be given to them in cash when the producers first raised the idea of flying the kids out to L.A.. This was a very sensible and modest request. Short notice business class air tickets for flying the two little kids to L.A. from Mumbai for the Oscars likely cost in the range of $15,000-25,000...

Don't demonize the father. He is doing his best raising the kid under impossible circumstances. Tuberculosis and living under a tarpaulin? Come on folks, there's every indication that the parents are heroes for raising personable kids with odds such as these against the whole family.

Besides, responsible trust conservators, lawyers and NGOs are hardly rarities in Mumbai.

Hopefully, Danny Boyle and Co. will do the right thing.

[spring55]

"$100 a month will let them live in dignity, $200 a month will put them squarely in the Indian lower middle-class. An annuity fund of $30,000 will yield this level of income. Incidentally, if every person who has commented on this thread forked over $30, that should fund it in full!

$20,000 will buy a modest one bedroom home in a nice middle class (not fancy) neighbourhood. That's $20 for each person who has commented on this thread"

Are you talking about the Mumbai area they are from. I can tell you this - $20K there is going to get you nothing there..maybe that's why the house hasn't come through yet. $100/month in mumbai isnt much at all. Cost of living is very high. Guess they can try to find another far off neighborhood. Outskirts of the city..they can find places..but is the family gonna relocate there?

[Ghost803]

Well that would be like giving a homeless guy here money, and he tries to BUY an apartment in New York City. Thats just plain stupid.

With 20000 dollars though, he could buy a house in about any non-major cities in India. And yea, my Aunt in India lived pretty decently for the last 20 years on a monthly salary of 150 dollars.