Born into Brothels, Accepted into NYU

Of all the kids in this year's freshman class at NYU, it's probably safe to say that Avijit Halder is the only one who's the son of a drug addict and Calcutta prostitute who was burned to death. At age 11, Halder was one of the children featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Born into Brothels, about the perilous lives of children in Calcutta's red light district. The film's director helped Halder get out of the slum and into America, where his talent for photography (and a lot of financial aid) won him admission to the Tisch film program. Unsurprisingly, it's been an interesting transition; Halder tells the Sun that his NYU classmates continue to amaze him: "There are these moments in the classroom when they ask, 'What's your favorite line from this movie?' and I'm like, 'Oh my God, who are you guys?'"

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Arts and Events on September 9, 2008 2:11 PM

Comments [rss]

starrygordon

I am not surprised at the insensitivity of Halder's classmates, for whom the desperation of the poor in India is a subject for entertainment.

Here's what I wrote about the movie on Netflix, or as much of it as the Gothamist will permit me to post:

The subject of this movie is not, as advertised, the lives of the children of prostitutes in a certain part of India -- most of that remains obscure to us -- but rather, what happens when rich people from the West with liberal-bourgeois feelings pay a lot of attention to a half-dozen such children, probably carefully selected ones, including giving them cameras, developing and printing their film, and trying to get them in schools evidently unattainable for most poor people in India. The result is predictable, as it would be in New York, London, or any other city where prostitutes and their families live in an oppressive underworld; the lives of the subjects are illuminated and their prospects greatly improved, whereas the framework which brought about their oppression and that of thousands or millions of others in the first place, is unchanged. In fact, there is not even a suggestion of how it might be changed. We can feel virtuously concerned without having to do anything about it. The location in India renders this framework at once colorful and opaque; if the film had been made in the United States some of the cultural references and social connections might have made American audiences quite uncomfortable. An exotic location protects them from this danger. I fear people are praising this movie and giving it good ratings not because they like it but because they think they _ought_ to like it.

CedDi80

I'm so happy for him!

Jen S

Excellent quote by Avijit.

NannyState

"Born Into Brothels, Accepted Into a Brothel".

thefacts

"I'm like, 'Oh my God,....."

He speaks like every other NYU student.

grove

thats a great sceene

TK

The scene where he bends over, scoops up the beach and takes a picture of it pouring out of the bucket caused everyone watching in our apartment to gasp in amazement.

I really enjoy that movie and would suggest it for anyone.