Slumdog Millionaire Child Star Now Homeless
[/caption]I find this terribly disturbing.
A Slumdog Millionaire child star has been forced to live out in the streets just like the character he played!
Azharuddin Ismail, the 9-year-old boy who played young Salim in the blockbuster movie was living in a shanty home that was illegally built along a drainage ditch in Mumbai.
Authorities went to his home late Thursday night and forced his family out and demolished his home. The U.D. Mistry, in charge of the demolitions, says that monsoon season is approaching and the ditch needs to be cleared before it comes, which includes the clearing of the shanty homes.
"When they came I was sleeping, they shook me awake and one policeman even threatened me," Ismail, surrounded by half-broken suitcases filled with clothes and utensils, told Reuters.
"What can I do if they have demolished my house? I will sleep out in the open."
-Reuters-
Authorities say that the shanty homes were cleared earlier this year in February along the ditch, but they sprang up again.
In February, the housing authority of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said they would give Ismail and fellow child star Rubina Ali new houses. But Ismail's mother, Shameem, said the family is now at the mercy of the rains.
"We also heard that the government had promised us houses, but what happened? We are still homeless," she said. "My son has brought glory to the country, shouldn't he get some credit?"
What I want to know is if this child was such a big part of the movie did he get paid at all? I mean how is it that his family is still living in such poor conditions? I don't know anything about the movie making industry but I would hope this kid along with any other of the stars were appropriately compensated, otherwise its just called child exploitation!
Apparently it was child exploitation according to the parents of the children who played Salim and Latika. They spoke to the press in January this year and said that they were grossly underpaid for their participation in the movie.
[caption id="attachment_34170" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Stars who played young Salim and Latika in "Slumdog Millionaire""]
[/caption]The film's British director, Danny Boyle, has spoken of how he set up trust funds for Rubina and Azharuddin and paid for their education. But it has emerged that the children, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, were paid less than many Indian domestic servants.Rubina was paid 500 [pounds] for a year's work while Azharuddin received 1,700 [pounds], according to the children's parents. -The Huffington Post - January 28, 2009
Fox Searchlight movie executives have tried defending the payment:
A statement from Fox Searchlight reads, "The welfare of Azhar and Rubnia has always been a top priority for everyone involved with Slumdog Millionaire. A plan has been in place for over 12 months to ensure that their experience working on Slumdog Millionaire would be of long term benefit. For 30 days work, the children were paid three times the average local annual adult salary. Last year after completing filming, they were enrolled in school for the first time and a fund was established for their future welfare, which they will receive if they are still in school when they turn 18.
Did you see that last statement...the trust fund will be given to them "IF they are still in school when they turn 18".
That's absurd! Why should their be a stipulation on how these actors get paid! I guess I can see if their was concern the parents would squander the money away, but I just don't see the audacity to hold them to something like that. I don't know the success rate of secondary schooling in the poorer communities in India but I sure hope this was intended as a well thought out plan. And that this poor boy and his family get a home soon!
I wonder if anyone from the movie will step in after hearing this news....
Readers, what do you think about this mess of a situation?
Sources: Yahoo! Movies and The Huffington Post
