Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Nicole Kidman "Strange And Afraid Of The Sun"


I don't know what I expected in an autobiography from a nine year old girl, but Rubina Ali's book is about as good as one could expect I think from someone who hasn't even hit double digits in the age department. Sure, it was written by someone else, but the words and stories appear to be her own.

In her book she describes what life was like prior to Slumdog and how it has changed her and what she expects from life now as opposed to what she expected before. That is the most remarkable thing about the book. Someone who has grown up in the middle of huge poverty and only knows that poverty and how because of a movie sees the world with entirely different eyes.

In the book she talks about her salary from the movie and how she doesn't know if she has any of it left or exactly how much she got paid or where it all went. She does speculate that the salary went to medical bills for her father's broken ankle. That must have been one hell of a broken ankle to spend that much money.

Rubina still has not received her promised apartment from Slumdog's producers and so she and her entire family live together with her uncle's family in a tiny apartment because her shanty was torn down back in May.

In a few brief paragraphs she describes working with Nicole Kidman on a commercial and how they shared a trailer. "I really liked her, but she was very quiet and didn't speak much. I think she was a bit shy. She was very strange and never wanted to come out of the trailer for the entire shoot. I think she was afraid of the sun."

Well, sure, because sunlight would kill her. One of the most interesting passages from the book shows how different life becomes when you are exposed to a new world. In the past, when Rubina had to go to the bathroom she would just go anywhere. Now though she will walk and walk just to find a pay toilet.

The commercial she shot with Nicole lasted just three days but paid her more than she was paid for the entire Slumdog shoot. No one mentions anything about where this money went. I wonder if she even knows how much she got paid or if she did get paid.


17 comments:

  1. aww, sweet little wee one. god be w/ her.

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  2. I'M NOT SURE WHAT LAWS ARE TO PROTECT
    CHILD ACTORS IN INDIA...BUT SOMEHOW I DOUBT SHE'LL SEE MUCH OF THE MONEY

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  3. I think it's awesome that she has a book out. She will definately sell a shipload, plus it will spread the word far and wide that these kids were most likely ripped off by the Slumdog producers.

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  4. I hope her book deal is better than the slumdog ripoff.

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  5. So sad, couldn't help but cry for her and others taht have been taken advantage of. Slumdog producers made a shitload of money & will continue to do so. They could at the very least build her a small house, just four wall if need be. Don't these people have hearts?

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  6. What drives me nuts is that these producers got so much praise for claiming to help these kids out, but no one ever hears that they didn't follow through on their word. Danny Boyle's an ass to exploit their poverty, promise them an escape from the poverty, and not keep his promise.

    I know this has been said, but it's really sad that not enough people know what a dick he is.

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  7. I can only hope she will have continued success, and that someone will haelp her save her money. And the line about Nicole being afraid of the sun is hilarious!!!! So many jokes, so little time...

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  8. Do book deals work out that she will get paid if her book sells? Or did she get some money up front for it?

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  9. I hope she gets a ton of money from this book and can improve her life.

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  10. Well, sure, because sunlight would kill her.

    LMAO at that.

    The rest is just sad.

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  11. The producers of that film are so shameful,there is no excuse for them to not make good on their promises to that child, educate her and get her an apartment, 300 million dollars later they can't even do that? I will never go see a movie those men make. I hope others speak with their wallets too.
    No doubt her father took everything, and will take all her future earnings as a child actor too, and can we expect anything else - he did try to sell the child earlier this year to make more money from her fame. The one chance she had were the producer's who failed her terribly.

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  12. What a triumph she is over the poverty she had to overcome.
    I don't know if I could have overcome that kind of start in life.

    I think the Nicole/sunlight quote is hilarious. Maybe Nic was afraid her botox would melt.

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  14. i am only writing because this topic stems from that atrocious movie. i HATED it!!!!!!!!!! it was one of the WORST movies i've ever seen - dumb story - slums and poverty used as plot gimmick - bad acting (except for the children, actually they were very good - where's their oscar?). i found that whole project to be a cheap exploitation of real issues, which was then turned into some stupid rags-to-riches love-story sentimental extravaganza, complete with the cliche bollywood dancing at the end.

    and i'm not surprised the girl and her family have yet to see an apartment.

    actually hate is not strong enough a word to describe what i feel about that cheap and stupid movie.

    *steps down from soapbox

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  15. If her father was blowing through her money you'd think he'd have something to show for it...even if he was just a selfish mooch surely he'd want a house for himself, right? So my guess is that she was only getting paid very, and I mean very, little (if at all), and that wouldn't surprise me. I am going under the assumption that India doesn't have laws the way the US does to protect children from being ripped off either by producers or parents. So sad.

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  16. this story makes me so mad. the people who made slumdog keep sayihg gow the kids got more than most people in india have, as if that's enough. sickening that any of the kids over there have to live in these conditions.

    how much money does a person need? would it kill the powers that be to give each kid that was in the movie a million dollars in a trust? their families could get a monthly check of the interest and the kids would get the money at say 18 or 21.

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  17. I don't know why they use Kidman in commercials. I've seen her in a few and they appear almost comical because her portrayal is so bland.

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