This is really a touchy topic because it plays on ethical responsibility. Hollywood, as we all know, has the right to make money and they do a good job of it, but at what cost? How far will they go to achieve this end?

Over the weekend I came across a disturbing article that I read written by Monica over at Cinematic;

When we think of child actors, it’s easy to think of rich, overly indulgent scenarios like the one Don McKellar outlined in Childstar. But that’s not always the case — especially for the tykes of Slumdog Millionaire. It only lost two of its ten Oscar nominations, but for the young Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubiana Ali, post-Slumdog life isn’t coming up roses.

On the hell of news that the kids were getting trust funds and school funding, The Telegraph reports that they are reeling after their whirlwind taste of luxury life at the Oscars. Azhar has been suffering from a 103 temperature and vomiting since returning home, a condition which isn’t helped by the fact that he doesn’t have a physical home to rest in (although neighbors are trying to build a metal structure for the kid to rest in out of the sun). Meanwhile, Rubina still wears the now-stained gown she wore to the Oscars, wishing to live in America and sleep in “a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo.”

The piece, which includes a lot of heart-breaking words from the children, points out how challenging it is for these kids to see and experience the absolute opposite of their lives, only to return to it and feel forgotten. So far, there have been no flats for the families to move to, and reports say that Azhar has even been beaten for wanting to sleep rather than talk to a journalist offering his family money.

As much as we like to watch films like Slumdog for entertainment, we as a well-off society should understand that there is a reality behind it. This is heartbreaking, because promises were made and none have come to fruition. This isn’t a situation where an actor demands a higher pay due to unexpected success, this is about taking children out of an environment where they need welfare assistance, putting them in a movie, then dumping them back into the slums as if nothing happened.

I understand that these producers don’t have an obligation to help these kids for having them in their movie but c’mon. Not only were these kids plucked out of their environment for the movie, they were dressed up in little suits and dresses, and  paraded around Hollywood to increase the “cute” image of the film.

This is not a suggestion to give them millions of dollars, however a decent place to stay and a constant source of food is more than deserving, but it seems the producers of this hit film are too focused on wasting money to keep their 8 oscars polished and shinny, which, I might add, was received with the help of those kids attracting attention and making millions for the movie  in the first place.

What do you think?

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