I cannot believe I am about to type these words but I agree with Rafiq Quereshi. That is the man who tried to sell his daughter Rubina Ali to reporters posing as parents. Anyway, Danny Boyle gave some kind of news conference yesterday where he blathered on and on about all of the wonderful things the trust is doing for the kids and that $100,000 will be spent on housing the kids and that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail who lost his house also was about to move into a house that had been secured for him. I just don't understand. Danny Boyle didn't have any obligation to these kids. He didn't. BUT, as soon as he opened his mouth about what they were going to do for the kids and their futures and their housing he then did become responsible and he is going to be called to task for screwing around. Azharuddin has been homeless since his shanty was torn down several weeks ago. His family was living beneath pieces of plastic. For two weeks? Why the f**k didn't Danny Boyle put the family in a hotel until he secured a house for them? Why? Because he doesn't care and probably wishes he had never made these promises in the first place. Right now they are empty promises.
He said they secured housing for Azharuddin but he hasn't moved in and is still homeless. As for Rubina's plight? They are still looking for suitable housing. Excuse me? You made many many millions upon millions of dollars and I find it very hard to believe you can't find a house. Are you being cheap about this? At this point I would think Danny would want all of this to go away and just pay whatever it takes. Instead it is just talk. Rubina's dad said, "It has been five to six months," he said. "Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money. If you really want to get us a house, you can get us a house in two days." Like I said, I can't believe it, but I am agreeing with a man who tried to sell his daughter.
Oh, and you want the kicker? Danny wants to shoot two more movies in Mumbai. Hopefully he won't exploit more kids.
I think there's more to this story than what we know. I just don't accept that Boyle doesn't care about the kids. Don't buy it at all.
ReplyDeleteGotta be more to this.
Not to mention that clearly Rafiq is in this for himself. Ugh, poor girl.
ReplyDeleteagreed. Mumbai is not desolate if you have the cash. this is complete BS and i refuse to ever see this overhyped craptastic exploitation of a movie.
ReplyDeletewow. danny boyle needs to shut up and put up. those poor kids... :(
ReplyDeleteI am having trouble believing the "dad tried to sell the daughter" routine. Think about it, it makes absolutely no sense that he would sell off a child who could bring the family out of poverty.
ReplyDeleteI hate to think DB is intentionally holding out on helping the kids but at the same time I agree that in the interim he could easily have put them up in hotels. It could happen immediately.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is a simple situation by any means but I don't think it had to drag out this long. Something is very strange about it all.
Jax -- you'll do yourself a disservice. It's a great movie. Wait till you can get it cheap on dvd...but see it.
ReplyDeleteComplex or not, dad with his palm out, whatever: all I know is that Danny Boyle made a big pile of $$$ from that film, as well as picking up Oscar for the ride, and can write his own ticket for awhile. There is no way that I would allow this to happen if I were in his position, not just because of the moral implications, but even because of the bad publicity. Something's up, but it isn't DB's IQ.
ReplyDeleteI agree we don't have all the facts. Danny needs to explain why he couldn't provide temporary shelter for the children IF it is truly time consuming to provide permanent housing for them.
ReplyDeleteHe'd better have an explanation soon. Even then, it's probably just BS. Danny Boyle needs to do something about this soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat upsets me is that most people have probably forgotten about this, save Enty, so it's probably OK in Danny Boyle's eyes that he's got empty promises.
I third the I-don't-think-we-know-everything feeling.
ReplyDeleteI just wish Boyle et al would be a wad of cash in an account that the kids' parents canNOT touch, that will be administered by legitimate accounting firm.
ReplyDeleteJessE- not really. it is out on video already and i'm not interested in paying even $1 towards furthing Boyle's career until he makes this right. he made squillions off the exploitation of these kids and i'm not interested.
ReplyDelete"blathering" does take its toll, doesn't it? after all, "word gets around, guys talk, ya hear things". and if worse comes to worse, ip addys "say" things, too. danny boyle and susan boyle look like they are related
ReplyDeleteI hate to play devil's advocate in this one, but Danny Boyle has gone on record several times stating that the production crew set up a trust for these kids IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEM FROM EXPLOITATION. Considering everything we've heard (again, JUST from what we've been told)about the parents of these kids, well, I would want to give the money to them in a trust far, far, far, away from their greedy parents' clutches. In the states, by the time child stars who haven't stayed famous beyond a few movies or a series look for the cash their parents stole, they've already been out of the public conciousness and thus no outrage. Anyone remember Angela Watson? My point exactly.
ReplyDeleteWith all of that said, while I can understand wanting to protect the kids LONG TERM, certainly somehting should have been done a lot sooner to get these kids out of living in shanty towns and into somewhere safe. Afterall, the movie did gross 326 million.
jax, i'm kinda with you on this.
ReplyDeletei had wanted to see it because of all the hype, even though i'm usually VERY disappointed in oscar winners.
and enty is right. he had no obligation to these kids (beyond the trust funds, which is equal to paying an american child), UNTIL he opened his mouth.
i DO believe the father tried to sell her, it's supposed to be common practice, and at that point, morally, DB should have stepped up right then and there.
it's all such a crying shame. how much can housing cost there, for cryin' out loud?
i hear what you are saying Christopher..but SOMEONE has to oversee the trust. you can't just throw money in a trust and then walk away. someone has to be their to dole out the money as its needed to properly feed,clothe,house and educate these kids and from what we keep hearing NO ONE is doing that.
ReplyDeletei'm not interested in paying even $1 towards furthing Boyle's career until he makes this right. he made squillions off the exploitation of these kids and i'm not interested.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm,
But you'll watch Jon & Kate.
I'm not really an authority on this or anything but maybe property values in Mumbai are actually really expensive? Also, isn't Mumbai one of the most populated cities on earth? I agree that Danny Boyle should have put the children in hotels or something, but maybe securing housing in Mumbai is really hard.
ReplyDeleteI think it is more complicated than it looks. My company outsourced some work to Mumbai (bad, I know) and warned us NOT to try to help people. For example, if you give a kid a dollar someone will just stab him as soon as he rounds the corner to steal the money. With a caste system in place I don't think that DB can round everyone up and check them into the Holiday Inn... I have to side with DB on this one, at least until the facts are clear.
ReplyDeleteI thought several months ago it was said that Boyle *had* secured housing for at least the little girl's family and the father was refusing to move there? The fathers are the ones who are the problem. Here it mentions it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.desihits.com/blog/article/slumdog-millionaire-kids-finally-get-nice-homes-20090528
syrdarya - i had heard that too, and I think there might be something to it. We just do not know enough about this situation...
ReplyDelete