Slumdog Star's Mom, Stepmom Lock Horns

Rumors part of a 'dirty' media scheme, he says

(NEWSER) - The father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali tells the BBC he’s not selling his daughter, contrary to a News of the World report he called a “dirty” scheme. The media “made fun of our poverty,” Rafiq Qureshi said. “They tricked us into this fakery but we came out unscathed.” He said he’d been placed in a spot of “great temptation,” but hadn’t made any such deal. More»

Rubina Ali homeless again after blaze in Mumbai slum

(NEWSER) - Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali is out on the street after a blaze ripped through her Mumbai slum today. "It's all gone. Even my best clothes, everything," Rubina tearfully told the AP via phone; the 12-year-old also lost her awards, clippings, and photos from the Oscar-winning flick. "We just grabbed what we could and dashed out. The fire spread so fast we couldn't get back in," says Rafiq Ali, her father. Some 2000 people were also left homeless. More»

(NEWSER) - The makers of Slumdog Millionaire have bought a home for one of the film’s Indian child actors whose real-life shanty was demolished by the Mumbai government, Reuters reports. Azharuddin Ismail is now living in a “comfortable” apartment “in a good neighborhood near his school,” an exec from the fund established by director Danny Boyle said. It plans to do the same for another young star in a similar situation. More»

Ali's father beaten by police in demolition

(AP) - The shanty home of another Slumdog Millionaire child star was torn down by Mumbai authorities today as they demolished part of a city slum where she lived. The stepmother of 9-year-old Rubina Ali, who portrayed a young Latika, the Oscar-winning film's heroine, said her husband was beaten by police who were supervising the demolition. She said he was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. More»

Rubina Ali's dad asks for $300k to adopt 9-year-old

(NEWSER) - The family of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali really is stuck in the slums of Mumbai, and her father may be trying to trade her in for his ticket out, the News of the World reports. The tab contacted Rafiq Qureshi, posing as a rich Dubai couple interested in adopting Rubina, after hearing that Qureshi had offered to sell her. More»