Slumdog Millionaire trust '
Jai Ho' has come out to the rescue of the film's child stars Rubina Ali and others by hiring a social worker to look after her.
The Jai Ho Trust was established with financial support from the filmmakers to ensure the welfare of the movie's child stars, including Rubina and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail. The trust has offered to help by hiring a trained social worker to look after the welfare of Rubina - amid allegations that the nine-year-old girl's father Rafiq tried to sell her for 2,00,000 pounds. However, Rafiq has denied the claims.
The Usnagazine have quoted saying the Director Danny Boyle and Producer, Christain Colson that they will remain commited to working the trust and the family to secure Rubina's long-term best interests. The trust will support Rubina, her parents and responsible authorities to ensure, the rights and interests of Rubina are protected. The trust is keeping regular contacts with Rubina and family and has now hired an experienced social worker to assist in her and Azharuddin's welfare activities.
The independent trust was set up to ensure that the family of the child stars receive suitable accommodations and a fixed sum of money each month for living expenses. It also covers the education costs for Rubina and her siblings and provides her with a lump sum of money after she turns 18 years old.
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The latest on latest that goes air on the Oscar Winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" is the news report brought out by the 'News of the World' a British newspaper, about the child actor of the movie Rubina Ali. The news report says that the father of Rubina tried to sell his nine-year-old daughter for adoption in a bid to escape the Mumbai slums.
News of the World alleged that Rafiq Qureshi wanted 20 million rupees (400,000 dollars, 310,000 euros) for the girl, who played the young Latika in the British hit film set in India. "Slumdog Millionaire", a rags-to-riches tale of children from the slums of Mumbai, won eight Oscars in February, including the best picture Academy Award.
News of the World said its reporters posed as a wealthy family from Dubai, employing its regular "fake sheikh" sting tactic.
The weekly tabloid said a Mumbai informant told them that Qureshi was touting for the highest offer, having already been approached by a Middle Eastern family.
Rubina's father have told the media that he is much more concerned about the child's future since she has brought fortune to the family. It is reported that Rubina's father is ready to discuss about the adoption but would expect some proper compensation in return.
While the producers of Slumdog Millionaire have donated 500,000 pounds to a child development organization that works in the slums of Mumbai to support education and healthcare programs. It is after slamming them last month for not providing for the child actors in the movie.
‘Slumdog Millionaire' star Rubina Ali is said to have been paid more than the Oscar winning film for a drinks commercial with Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman. According to the nine-year-old slum dweller's father, the money Rubina is receiving for doing the ad is more than the total she got for the film.
Now the complaint by the slum kid's father is that the Film people haven't kept all the promises despite the media created much propaganda on their offer. Rubina Ali, who played the child Lathika in the film "Slumdog Millionaire", have drawn great media attention since the award event at Kodak Theater. Rubina's father Rafiq Ali said that they don't have any information about the trust fund and the 21 pound that was given for her studies have stopped coming. It seems that the family is still dissatisfied with the movie makers and what they had offered. Despite the slum kids were used for the movie, the feeling that they have to still dwell in the same dirty slum again is ruining their mind.
However the family is proud of Rubina's rising profile and hopes to lead a better life in a proper house in near future.
Source: Indianexpress.com
The story and the life of Syed is a lesson to be learned by the child actors of the eight Oscar Awards film
"Slumdog Millionaire". What reminded Shafiq Syed about his own childhood and short-lived fame was watching the child stars of "
Slumdog Millionaire" in Los Angeles as the film swept the Oscars in February. Having basked in the limelight for his portrayal of a street kid in the 1988 Oscar-nominated film "Salaam Bombay," Syed now struggles to feed a family of five at his home in southern India, Bangalore. His own rags-to-riches story has ended up after some time and he now earns $3 (2.1 pounds) a day driving a motor rickshaw (See the
article in Reuters).
This is a kind of warning for the child stars of the Sludog Millionaire. Syed has some advice for this slum kids. He says that "It's good that they have got this huge break, but they should not get carried away and focus on studies so that they can lead a meaningful life on their own when they grow up,". But when compared to Syed, these children have got much more privilege than him. The government have promised to shift them to a new apartment, besides their studies are taken care, a trust has formed to look after their studies and help them financially unto an age. How ever, the children should keep in mind what Syed says. The fame and money will not last!
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire, children on
Mar 23, 2009
After the success of the film, "Slumdog Millionaire" and the winning of 8 Oscars, criticisms against the film seems unending. Even though some of the Indians are proud about the movie's success, some part of the Indian masses are still not satisfied and are prone to rash criticisms. While some say the movie is a pornography of poverty, others are happy by simply thinking that Indians got the Oscars for the first time for the film that is taken completely from India.
But the much effort taking Indian directors are angry that their works were not given any consideration simply because those were directed by Indians and also the Westerners would like to see Indians as an underbelly nation. The famous director Priyadharshan had bursted out that his film Kanjeevaram which was shown alongside Boyle's film in the Toronto Film Festival was not given any consideration. He has joined the bandwagon in slamming Danny Boyle's underdog saga ‘Slumdog Millionaire' and has called the film a ‘cheap trashy mediocre version' of erstwhile Bollywood hits.
While, the Indian Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, who played an important role in the film says that everyone who worked for this film didn't have any commerce in mind but wanted it to be a good film. He has donated his wages after playing the role in the movie's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire TV host, to Plan India, which helps underprivileged kids in the country. And Kapoor reveals that it was his own humble upbringing which inspired him to donate the money to the organization. Like this he feels that many other Indians who have watched the film and have a feel for the Underprivileged Children will surely do some kind of help to charitable trusts that looks after these kind of children.
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire, children on
Mar 19, 2009
Designers Ashima and Leena is going take children from the Oscar winning film to showcase their creations on the second day of Wills India Fashion Week.
While most designers turn to Bollywood leading ladies to walk the ramp for them during fashion week, Ashima and Leena Singh have decided to use Azharuddin and Rubina, who played the youngest Jamal and Latika in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for their show on the second day of the Wills India Fashion Week (WIFW). Both the designers are planning to keep the glory alive for Azhauddin and Rubina after they came back from the Oscars. The designers are also to launch “Ashima-Leena Jai Ho Foundation” with this show. The foundation will work with Khushii and hopes to help educate poor children.
See the news in Business Standard
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 19, 2009
Oscar Awards winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” has crossed borders to China's list of 20 foreign films allowed to be screened in its theatres. The director of the film 'Danny Boyle' is expected to attend the movie's premiere in Beijing on March 24. The movie has cleared the Chinese censors. The China Film Group Corporation has praised the movie for its artistic value and for imposing a positive, healthy and inspirational aspect in the film. The CFGC is the body that decides on foreign films for Chinese audiences.
It's hard for many Hollywood movies to break into the Chinese market because of the quota and also the rigid censorship process. Chinese authorities often reject films that may contain negative portrayals of China, its people, explicit scenes of sex or violence, or sensitive topics such as Tibet.
"Slumdog Millionaire" will be shown in some 2,000 cinemas across China.
See CBC News
Posted by: jisha in slums, Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 17, 2009
After the success of the Oscar winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”, another film is shaping up from the same slum area of Mumbai's 'Dharavi'. The film 'Barah Aana' is to show not the poverty pornography like in 'Slumdog', but it has casted on a theme, the same Dharavi slum as a place of the working class, where peons, clerks,watchmen and more live together, their lives intertwining like they never do anywhere else. The young, Raja Menon is the writer and director of the film 'Barah Aana'. The film shows the narrow lanes of the slum and a community huddled together.
Barah Aana is a comedy about three friends from Dharavi, a driver played by Naseeruddin Shah, a watchman by Vijay Raaz and a waiter by Arjun Mathur. Raaz’s character, boisterous and mischievous, finds himself in deep soup and stumbles into a crime. He goads his friends to join him and soon all three find their lives spinning out of control.
The 97-minute movie, which will be released on March 20, has done the domestic festival circuit, travelling to Goa, Kerala and Pune, and has been invited for screening at the Museum of Modern Arts, NewYork, in June. The attention Slumdog got after winning Oscars might help this film in a good way. After all this is a film produced by an Indian.
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 14, 2009
Curiosity about India paved the way for the success of the Oscar winning movie“Slumdog Millionaire”. It was said by none other but the author who wrote the novel “Q & A”, which formed the base for producing the film Slumdog.
Vikas Swarup, who is also India's deputy high commissioner to South Africa, found himself in the spotlight after British director Danny Boyle adapted his novel "Q&A" for the big screen. He even travelled around the world to promote his novel and the film. He says that behind the success of this film is because it is about India. Everyone around the world is anxious to know about India, he said."Slumdog Millionaire", a rags-to-riches drama about a Mumbai slum kid winning a TV game show, swept the Academy Awards last month, winning eight Oscars including best film.
He says, even those kids from the slums were able to stand along with the famous directors like Steven Spielberg and other famous Hollywood actors at the Kodak Theater, Los Angels. Now, Vikas Swarup finds himself recognized and his books sorted after at shopping malls. Eventhough Vikas didn't win any Oscar's, he feels proud like a Godfather to the final product.
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 10, 2009
As the general election is fast approaching, the political parties in India have started to fight for the right to play the signature song “Jai Ho”for campaign rallies after the “Slumdog Millionaire” created a great wave, winning 8 Oscars. The ruling Congress party has bought the exclusive rights to play "Jai Ho," which translates as "Be Victorious," at their election rallies. The song, played on the closing dance sequence of the film, won Best Song at the Academy Awards.
See for more News by AP.
