Slumdog millionaire

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desertbloom79
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
FYI: Bandra is probably the most affluent neighborhood in Mumbai. It is certainly the most heavily populated with those in the film industry. Santa Cruz West is also an affluent neighborhood, though not necessarily in the league of Bandra. This has shades of "UES- ugh, no! I need Tribeca or don't bother." Every time this man opens his mouth, I despise what's coming out of it. I feel so sorry for this child.

(And to not misrepresent myself, I know this because my fiance is from Mumbai.) #slumdogmillionaire
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Hooplehead promoted this comment desertbloom79 was starred desertbloom79 was unstarred

heykoukla
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
I wonder what their long-term prospects will be, particularly if they do drop out of school. Surely the interest in Slumdog internationally will peter out soon, and then what? Do they have a future in showbiz in India? I don't want to start making assumptions about Indian society, but these kids are from the slums, and I wonder whether they are accepted as bona fide stars there, or looked down upon. Any Indian Jezzies who could enlighten us? #slumdogmillionaire
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PoisonPixie
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
Don't hate the dad for not wanting to leave the only life he knows because his work contacts are there. Maybe he knows that in a few years no one will care about his daughter anymore, but he still will have to support his family. PS...you can totally hate on the things I have heard about him trying to sell/marry her off. #slumdogmillionaire
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yvanehtnioj
11/03/09

@PoisonPixie: No, Bandra isn't the slum where he lives, it's an even fancier neighborhood than the place where they were trying to buy the family an apartment. #slumdogmillionaire
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likepenguins
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
wow, a 250 square foot apartment! sigh.

(that sigh/sarcasm is meant for myself. Somedays it's good to remember, as I fuss at the size of my kitchen for not being big enough to cook a dinner party, about the real world.)

This whole thing just puts a bad taste in my mouth. I do realize what Danny Boyle was trying to do, but of course it smacks of Western paternalism. While I agree that the parents of child stars don't always (or ever? I'm trying to think of a child star who didn't get fucked up, and jodie foster's the only one I can come up with) have their best interests at heart, no one fusses when Miley Cyrus misses a day of school. This whole thing is just a little too "let us tell you how we would like you to live your lives, children of poverty. You can thank us later!" #slumdogmillionaire
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rd2uk
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
honestly, if they can use the monthly allowance (the Rs.6000) and an incentive for these kids to go to school, they definitely should do. #slumdogmillionaire
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annebreal
11/03/09

In reply to Spoilers: The Children Of Slumdog Millionaire Are Just Kids Being Kids
God, I just don't know how I feel about all this. Whenever I hear more about how the Slumdog kids are doing, I just keep wondering if in a decade's time we're going to remember Danny Boyle as making a botched attempt to not exploit or enable the exploitation of the child actors who made his Oscar-winning film. It just seems like another example of Western culture swooping in without fully understanding what they're getting into. He got a beautiful film out of it, but at what cost? #slumdogmillionaire
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Hooplehead promoted this comment annebreal was starred annebreal was unstarred

Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch
11/03/09

@annebreal: Boyle has done more for these kids than any other director has done for any other actors in recent memory, barring the Born Into Brothels directors. No, he can't make sure that the rest of their lives are as amazing as the last few years have been, but he has done a lot to ensure that they are comfortable and provided for.

Rubina's dad always comes across as so calculating and greedy in interviews. He certainly does not seem to put her interests first when there's a possibility of squeezing some more money out of the situation. Nothing is ever enough for him. #slumdogmillionaire
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annebreal
11/03/09

@Hooplehead: I agree with you, I'm just not sure casting children from the slums was the best idea, you know? Child stardom is a bitch in and of itself, but the situation in this particular movie, with the particular kids he cast, is full of grey areas and mind-boggling cultural and ethical issues. I personally hope the very best for these kids, because if this fame causes huge upheaval and trauma in their lives, it was so unnecessary. It's just a movie. Again, I haven't really wrapped my head around what I think about it, especially because it concerns child stars in general, not just these kids and this movie, but Jesus, it's just a movie. #slumdogmillionaire
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Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch
11/03/09

@annebreal: I get your point, but I think that people are going to complain and think Boyle is a colonialist jerk no matter how he handles this. Because he's white, from the UK, working with people who are Indian and the UK and Southeast Asia as a whole have a troubled history. But IMO, if he didn't cast slum kids, it would be people asking why not. Troubling overtones or not, the fact is that these kids' lives are full of many more possibilities than they were a few years ago, and that is because of Boyle. They have other offers, they are making money. Yes, child stardom is problematic, but if it eases what by all accounts is crushing poverty and gives them a chance at a stable life, so much the better, right?
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Edited by Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch at 11/03/09 3:26 PM

tigrgirle
11/03/09

@Hooplehead: this is my first time commenting, but i feel like i *have to* agree w/ you on this. having seen 1st hand the horrible conditions the poor live in in india and other 3rd world countries makes me feel that these kids lives are at least a little bit better. pitfalls of child stardom or not.
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liz.lemonade
11/03/09

@annebreal: My frustration with the uproar is when people say that "he made all this money off the children, so he should give some of it back." Granted, the circumstances are different from a big Hollywood movie that employs middle-class American child actors, but how often do actors benefit from a movie *after* it has been released (unless they have a contract with percentages of box office grosses)? I think he's doing a great deal for these children -- and yes, some of it is misguided and has some uncomfortable cultural connotations -- but I don't quite understand why he's held to a higher "obligation" standard when that's just not the way things are done in the film industry. I mean, if it were up to me, I'd want these children to have everything they need while also respecting their complicated circumstances. The movie succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and I'm glad they've benefited. But I'm just weary of Boyle being labeled as "greedy" or being condemned for not doing "enough".

That said, I do agree with your comment about the culture swooping in without fully understanding what they've gotten into.
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Hooplehead promoted this comment Edited by liz.lemonade at 11/03/09 5:09 PM liz.lemonade was starred liz.lemonade was unstarred

Maryscary
11/03/09

@annebreal: Yeah, I agree. Would they be better off never being involved in the film? But then, I think about the classic example of Drew Barrymore, and how she had no idea how to vote or anything about politics because she didn't go to school, and then she made this whole documentary about it. Her parents were horrible. So, I see what Boyle was trying to do with the education and trust money thing -- keep it away from the parents giving children the skills they'll need in adult life through education. Ultimately, with any situation regarding children, good parenting means everything. You can't really get around that. Then I think about JKF Jr. - he basically grew up with paparazzi up his butt -- but was a gracious, educated, well adjusted adult because his mom raised him well.

I guess the kids have a opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise and without decent parents, that can be a horrible pitfall. #slumdogmillionaire
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Hooplehead promoted this comment Maryscary was starred Maryscary was unstarred

clevernamehere
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
Danny Boyle cast very poor children in his films and shot them very compassionately. During filming he made sure money was held in trust for their education. Since the movie did well, he has bought or tried to buy them bigger homes. Yet there has been loads of press on how he hasn't done enough.

Sacha Baron Cohen used poor Gypsies (adults and children) as part of a joke in Borat, calling them racist savages but not letting them no he was calling them racist savages. In exchange they were paid scale and the village got a few computers. Last I heard, they were trying to sue him.

I really do not understand why Danny Boyle gets so much crap for not doing enough (although this piece is interesting in showing the different ways the families reacted to the money) and so little was said about Sacha Baron Cohen.
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Luckwouldhaveit
08/20/09

@clevernamehere: Agreed. Danny Boyle had several choices when he made this film - he could have made it on a soundstage in London, with non-Indian children wearing dark makeup. He chose, I think, a means to make the most authentic and compassionate film, and he gets crapped on for it. I wouldn't be surprised if his next film is set in NY and LA, but shot in Toronto and Vancouver, with big-name actors, and a huge happy Hollywood ending.
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rd2uk promoted this comment Luckwouldhaveit was starred Luckwouldhaveit was unstarred

rd2uk
08/20/09

@Luckwouldhaveit: with non indian children wearing dark make up? really? i beleive that is called black-face, and last i checked, thats pretty unacceptable.
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samethingwedoeverynightpinky
08/20/09

@rd2uk: Yeah, I don't think that was an option. Plus, there are plenty of actual Indian children in London, some of whom I'm sure would love to act, there's no reason to go painting non-Indian kids. I do think it's good that he used kids who were not just the appropriate ethnicity, but had life experience that reflected the movie. I guess my discomfort was more with the movie itself, and the fact that it did have a big Hollywood finish, and was billed as a feel good movie, which seemed to erase the reality of the slumkids it was about, none of whom were winning game shows. And I also do think there's something paternalistic about all the restrictions on the use of the kids' money. I understand the reasons for it, but I also understand why, especially given the historical context of colonialism, which treats grown people like children, some people would find it objectionable.
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andBegorrah
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
So suck it up, The Coreys.
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earthgirl
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
But what about the third child?
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Maritsa promoted this comment earthgirl was starred earthgirl was unstarred

solaana
08/20/09

@earthgirl: I think the 3rd kid was middle class already, so no big slum-related story to tell there.
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Maritsa promoted this comment solaana was starred solaana was unstarred

Maritsa
08/20/09

@earthgirl: I am pretty sure he is middle-class and never lived in the slums.
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Edited by Maritsa at 08/20/09 1:10 PM Maritsa was starred Maritsa was unstarred

tell Dolly Parton again
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
Everything was true, Ziyan Contractor? Including the scene where the kid wins a million dollars and magically escapes from the gangsters on his long-lost love's tail?
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annebreal
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
I appreciate that Slumdog was a well-executed, well-scripted and well-acted movie, but this is exactly why I couldn't enjoy it. It was entirely too real. Personally, I watch movies to be entertained, not stressed out and horrified the whole time (same reason I couldn't get into No Country for Old Men). Sure, it shed light on very real problems, but I'm not sure that's really Hollywood's job. At all.
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CurtCole promoted this comment annebreal was starred annebreal was unstarred

CurtCole
08/20/09

@annebreal: I disagree, art has always functioned on some level as a commentary on cultural and social issues. It mirrors society; how can in not then critique it on some level.
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nyc-caribbean-ragazza
08/20/09

@annebreal:

Hollywood's "job" is to make a wide range of movies. Some will be entertaining and expose you to a new world and others will be just mindless fun.

Film is a powerful medium. The business is already knee deep in mindless fun. Thank god once in a blue moon there is a film like Slumdog or No Country.
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Little Green Frog (Wise Latina) promoted this comment

MissSunshine4812
08/20/09

@CurtCole: Truly. We have a plethora of mindless entertainment on both the big and small screens. Why on earth would we not want (and desperately) some form of content with real meaning?

More art should comment on cultural and social issues. As long as it's executed well (and even only decently), it's often more satisfying than the vapid films and TV shows out there.
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Lymed promoted this comment Edited by MissSunshine4812 at 08/20/09 1:02 PM MissSunshine4812 was starred MissSunshine4812 was unstarred

annebreal
08/20/09

@annebreal: Absolutely it's commentary on societal issues and society as a whole. But condensing some 20 years of history in 2 hours isn't going to educate or expose anyone very much. I'm not nearly as educated in Indian history as I should be, but throughout the movie I was thinking "holy shit, WHY are they chasing those kids with sticks?" and the like. If Slumdog's aim was to make us aware and understand the plight of India's poor, I don't think they really succeeded. If their aim was to take you on a complete emotional roller coaster with beautiful imagery, then they absolutely did. I think movies work under too many constraints to encapsulate complex social problems. There's exceptions, sure, where some movies managed to be that thought provoking (I personally don't think Slumdog got there), but by in large I think there's way better places to go for enlightenment and education than a theater seat.
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CurtCole
08/20/09

@annebreal: Oh, I totally agree that it was a problematic film, but one would hope that some members of the audience would leave with the thought, "Hey, I don't know shit about India...I'm going to educate myself." Sadly, this is probably not the norm, but one can hope. I took issue with how neatly everything was resolved in the end, how it became a feel good movie for the last five minutes, as the characters that the audience sympathized with most got themselves out of the slum. So, movie goers could rest easy on their ride home not having to worry about those cute little kids, and as Katy has shown us, that is clearly not realistic.
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Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch
08/20/09

@annebreal: I don't agree with that. I think there is certainly a role for the cinema in raising social awareness and humanizing problems. How much press was the situation in Mumbai's slums getting before Slumdog? For better or for worse, the film has put these kids' plight onto the map for a lot of people. I think it's valid that you prefer entertaining movies over documentaries and cinema verite. No one is making you watch them. But I disagree that there's no place for these types of films just because they are not what you prefer to see.
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willwriteforfood
08/20/09

@annebreal: "by in large I think there's way better places to go for enlightenment and education than a theater seat."

Sure there are, but most people wouldn't seek them out. One of the advantages of cinema is its wide reach, because nearly everyone goes to the movies and just might be accidentally exposed to what's going on in the rest of life outside their own neighborhood. To that end, cinema does serve a function in teaching us things we didn't know. And if you didn't know why the police were chasing the slumdogs with sticks in the movie, you just might get interested enough afterward to find out.

By your reasoning, Hollywood shouldn't make movies like Hotel Rwanda or Rendition and just stick to making movies like GI Joe, and I don't agree. I'd be hard pressed to find it fun to watch Hotel Rwanda again, but you can't deny it certainly raised awareness of the brutality and murder going on in the country at that time.
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clevernamehere
08/20/09

@annebreal: I think it did show the plight of the poor, what it didn't show was why things were so bad.

Schindler's List basically did the same thing. Its about concentration camps but its doesn't go back through the Nurnberg Laws, the Beer Hall Putsch and World War I to show how it all happened.

I think most well done political films work on two levels- the entertainment level (or the gut wrenching pain level) and the socio-historical level (but only if you're pretty familiar with the history already). People who don't get the socio-historical level can decide to learn more after seeing the film.
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NefariousNewt
08/20/09

In reply to Life After Slumdog
"No one ever asked who I was or what I thought about anything."

And eventually, like so many child stars, her life may return to that, when the luster wears off and the movie is long forgotten.
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Jeenzy
07/21/09

In reply to Indian Pageant Contestants Bank On Popularity Of Bollywood Films
Honestly, you all should go see a collegiate bollywood dance competition. There's collegiate teams all across the nation, and its growing still, and if you want more information on them PM me. Those dances are such a blend of creativity and talent. One of the criteria they are judged on is originality, so you see a lot of new choreography with just a touch of stunting. It's so amazing seeing the "bollywood-ness" without the assistance of camera tricks and whatnot.
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StarSquid
07/21/09

@Jeenzy: Many of these intercollegiate competition dance numbers are on youtube as well. If anyone is interested in watching Canadian team numbers, search for "SAA" or "WICSA" and a list of different universities should show up.
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suck_it_monkeys
07/21/09

In reply to Indian Pageant Contestants Bank On Popularity Of Bollywood Films
I recently started taking Bollywood and Bhangra dance classes and I feel like SUCH a bandwagon poseur, but damn it, those classes are amazingly fun. So yeah, thank you India, as Alanis would say.
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BeckySharper
07/21/09

In reply to Indian Pageant Contestants Bank On Popularity Of Bollywood Films
If Miss America/Miss USA contestants learned Bollywood dances, I might actually watch.
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