The parents of Rubina “Latika” Ali and Azharuddin “Salim” Ismail (pictured above) who are two of the main stars of Slumdog Millionaire are saying that despite the movie’s success they continue to live in poverty, you know like their characters in the movie. According to the Telegraph:
Rubina was paid £500 [about $716] for a year’s work while Azharuddin received £1,700 [about $2,437] according to the children’s parents. However a spokesman for the film’s American distributors, Fox Searchlight, disputed this saying the fees were more than three times the average annual salary an adult in their neighbourhood would receive. They would not disclose the actual sum. Both children were found places in a local school and receive £20 [about $28] a month for books and food. However, they continue to live in grinding poverty and their families say they have received no details of the trust funds set up in their names. Their parents said that they had hoped the film would be their ticket out of the slums, and that its success had made them realise how little their children had been paid.
“There is none of the money left. It was all spent on medicines to help me fight TB,” Azharuddin’s father, Mohammed Ismail, said. “We feel that the kids have been left behind by the film. They have told us there is a trust fund but we know nothing about it and have no guarantees.”
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I hope this publicity makes them pay those kids out. Fucking thieves.
IF they were paid three times what adults were paid, and IF a trust fund was set up for them I don’t think they were cheated. It is not the movie people’s fault that father had to use the money to pay for his TB medication. Actors can’t come back after a film is a hit and demand more money than they signe their contract for. The world doesn’t work that way.
The white man has bamboozled the Indians yet again………..Turkey anyone?
@nujerudevil-took the words out of my mouth.
^^ lmao so true
Sorry, but I agree with ‘no name’!! You get paid what you get paid, you can’t then ask for more!! What was the father doing spending their money anyway?? What if they hadn’t earnt it? what would he have used then. To save his future he’s jepordised theirs…
Are you retarded..? ^^ It’s called moral obligations.. How much do you think Brad, Will, or Tom would have gotten for their roles??. These people can’t even go to school and dad complaining about TB? Shit.. if you have TB, then you don’t just sit around … you do something about it.
Damn people….
thats sad.
THIS IS NOTHING NEW…
FOLKS THAT SIGN CONTRACTS THEY DONT FULLY UNDERSTAND HAVE BEEN GETTING SNOWED FOR YEARS…
YOU GET WHAT THE PAPERS SAY YOU GET..NOTHING MORE…NOTHING LESS…SIGN HERE!
EDUCATION IS EVERYTHING…
I AINT SAYIN ITS RIGHT…BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS…
I agree with with Nuj. Notice the article says “the LOCAL annual salaray” . YOU ARENT FOOLING ANYONE!
what about they will get more “if” they are still in school…”if”… america strikes again.
^^^^ ……and if “if” were were a fifth, we’d all be drunk.
They are scamming and bullshitting these poor people (no pun intended). There should not be contingencies on payment.
Not for nuthin, they’re parents better get real Joe Jackson about it! Rubina would be getting pitched for the real life version of Dora the Explora pronto. She already has the ‘do. I’m just saying…
^^^ YOU are a MESS!!!!!!!!! ha h ah ah a …..but for real though, I agree! lol
Read before signing anything. Trying to negotiate for more money after the deal is done that’s just not how the world works. If the movie had sucked and lost money, you would not read about them giving any money back. The parents had better get their grind on, and start having the kids make appearances or get other gigs if they want to capitalize on the fame. You wanted to be in the game… now you’re in the game, you’d better learn how to play.
Traditional rules do not apply to this film. It is, by definition, a non-traditional film. While telling a fantastic tale about a “Slumdog Millionaire” it is not a simple love-story. It is not a simple tale of triumph over economic hardship. This film is not made within the constraints of “how the world works”. They broke the mold. So they should break the mold of compensation for actors. Profit share this movie! So what if it wasn’t originally accounted for? Give these kids some dough and make sure it gets there.
I dont see the harm in them giving a little extra ends however they signed a contract and thats that. Guarantee if they give them more they probably will come back again for more. Sorry 2 b like that but these mofo’s b tryna get us & then when u do for them they wanna kick u in ur ass afterwards and tell u how much better they r than u.
*officially off soapbox*
yo style is a mess!!!!!
Fox is smart>> if they give them all the money>> the parents will spend it>> the kids will never see a dime of it.. they dont have laws out there to protect them from this happening like we do out here.