Worldwide gross of nearly THREE HUNDRED MILLION dollars, and this little girl--all of these kids if this is true--were USED for the profit of other, more powerful figures. (Estimated budget was $15 million.)The nine-year-old was plucked from Mumbai’s slums to act in Danny Boyle’s film but, despite its runaway box office success, she went back to the same life as before.
The film’s executives then set up a trust fund for her and the other child stars.
But Rubina’s father, Rafiq Ali, claims the cashflow had stopped.
He said: 'The Slumdog Millionaire people haven’t kept all their promises despite the media attention.
'We have no information about the supposed trust fund - and the £21 a month that they were giving for her studies has stopped coming.
Gee, does anyone see a parallel with the movie itself? What is the difference between the production company and the character who kidnapped the children to exploit on the street for spare change? At least the kids have an opportunity to capitalize on their fame now. But if a rising tide raises all ships, they should all be given the opportunity to reap the benefits of what they earned, and undoubtedly, use that money to help their families and neighborhoods.
The media coverage of this issue has come and gone, because traditional media have the attention span of an ADHD teenager and are too lazy to revisit a story once it has passed through the radar. It is pathetic but not surprising that they won't even continue 21-pound-per-month payments for her education. Thankfully, the issue can be revived with every job she takes from here on out.
But if this is allowed to become the norm, expect a LOT more "outsourcing" of the film industry.
