Saturday, January 31, 2009

For the abject should always remain where they belong!

What do you expect the stars of a super-hit, multiple award winning, billion dollar grosser Hollywood movie with 10 Oscar nominations to be paid as remuneration for their year-long work? I bet any number you throw would be a few orders of magnitude higher than what the child stars of the much-hyped Slumdog Millionaire made (or for that matter even the other Indian actors). Celebritydom or not, Boyle thinks it befits his stars to forever stay consigned to the slums. Once a slumdog, forever a slumdog. Somebody else can take care of becoming the millionaire part.

It's not about narrowing the blame on a few individuals. The rule of exploiting the exploited seems to be universal, for why else would a brutal shameless attack on women in pub by self-proclaimed moral guardians of the society aka goons prompt national leaders, state Chief Ministers and women's right activists to promise to take an action against the immoral pub culture and PDA, and lecture women about what they are expected to do.
Equality, free democracy, justice, anyone?

8 comments:

Realistic me... said...

Its always been like this and I don't see much changing either. Sad, but true.

Realistic me... said...

To add to that, it is sick how they jump to conclusions and take the easy way out, always.

catalyst said...

such absolute rhetoric coming from you, really a first..... boyle made a movie and he paid them for what anyone else would have worked for that part....thats how free markets work......there is demand at a price and there is supply. Works of art sometimes garner outrageous prices but inclusivity here is merely a socialistic concept to extoll the guilt of those making money. This is something society must do out of its own accord and if somebody doesnt do it, you cant ridicule him/her. It is not exploitation; apathy/inconsiderate behaviour at the most.
Perhaps you dont understand when people negotiate to get their purchases at a lower price. It works from billion dollar services/arms deals to rupees fifteen flower bouquets. The downtrodden deserve sympathy but it is not their fundamental right to extort through society's guilt.
yet again, you drag things into a generalization discrediting all those against. Have a look around, there are more against that attack. But woefully so, few of those advocating happen to be in power conferred by our own democratic system. This dichotomy of opinions is hallmark of a society at cusp of transformation.....and slowly things would settle down. Instead of engaging in a constructive dialogue if you try to simply marginalize these fundamentalists the process would take longer. ......whatever.

unsolicited as always

catalyst said...

oh ! a coffee later i have a perfect analogy :)
for an i-banker salary of her housemaid should be directly proportional to the annual bonuses she makes (of course in addition to the fixed salary of housemaid)

...yet again, unsolicited as always

Anonymous said...

i don't agree on the first point and i don't like the way you've put forth the second.

For a 15 minute role even in a multi-oscar nominated movie one can't pay a million!

Anonymous said...

Okay .. I dint read the blog, but I really liked your blog layout.. cheers!

Mizohican said...

We live in difficult times...

:(

Phoenix said...

Apologise for the post, just wanted to whine, for once abt the world, n not abt myself. :)