Rubina Ali
May 27, 2009
Image by wenn.com
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Boyle and producer Christian Colson flew into Mumbai this week to see how they could help the young stars of the movie, who are clearly still living in the slums.
They met with Ismail's family members at the private lounge of Mumbai's JW Marriott hotel on Tuesday and Boyle announced that he had just purchased the family a new home and is planning on doing the same for Rubina Ali.
Boyle says, "The homes are a concern. That is one of the reasons why we built the trust."
A spokesman for the Jai Ho Trust describes Ismail's new apartment as "comfortable, in a good neighborhood (and) near his school", with the property costing "upwards of two million rupees," which is roughly $42,000.
Danny has proven yet again that he has a heart of gold. He could have just carried on with his life after the success of his movie, and his Oscar win, but he's devoted a lot of time and money to help the kids and their family members live a better life.
May 20, 2009
Rubina’s stepmother told the AP that her father was beaten by police who were overseeing the demolition, and had to be taken to the hospital.
Rubina seemed very scared as she told the AP, “I’m feeling bad. My house had been demolished. I’m thinking about where to sleep.”
Rubina’s stepmother went on to say, "How can the police barge in anytime without giving us notice?”
These slums are being destroyed because they are illegal or are in the way of city development plans. Government promises of housing are not often met and when slum-dwellers are given homes, it is often in poor-quality buildings on the outskirts of cities, far from their jobs.
What happened to the trust that was set up in Rubina’s name? And she reportedly just shot a commercial with Nicole Kidman and made money off of that too! If that’s the case, it sounds like Rubina and her family needs to get out of that area ASAP.
April 22, 2009
The story was uncovered by News of the World, and Rubina’s father Rafiq Qureshi quickly denied the claims.
A senior police officer in India told Reuters, "So far there is no evidence of any offence, hence there is no registration of complaint and no arrest."
No word on whether or not Qureshi has been released from custody.
Details to come…
April 20, 2009
"My elder daughter had informed me...I did not believe he would actually go through with it," she said.
She told police that her ex husband and his new wife are "money crazy" and he was considering selling their daughter to a wealthy family from Dubai.
Police official Prakash Salunke, who is leading the investigation, told the UK Sun: "Khursida was very upset by the media reports and she came to lodge a complaint."
He added, "When we questioned Rubina she said she does not want to go anywhere and wants to live with her father. Similarly, Rafiq Qureshi also said he has no intentions of selling her."
This is just the saddest thing. Child services should take her away from her father. Rubina reportedly doesn't understand what's going on with her family and the media, but found it "amusing" that she was going to be sold off. Maybe Angelina Jolie or Madonna can adopt her?
April 19, 2009
Rafiq Qureshi is reportedly trying to get his girl adopted for a whopping price of 200,000 pounds.
News of the World was tipped off by the adoption news so they sent a fake sheik to cover the story where Rafiq said: "I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future."
He also said that the big bosses of Slumdog Millionaire have not kept their promise of buying them a house and that is why he was forced to put his daughter up for sale.
"We've got nothing out of this film," he declared. "They haven't looked after us. They gave some money at the start but they gave us nothing afterwards. They gave us around 150,000 rupees (£2,040). They've been talking about giving us a house, but all they do is talk. What they showed in the film is exactly how life is here. The government doesn't help us. We get nothing. We live in one room, seven of us sleep on the floor. I earn £2 to £3 a day. I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future. We haven't got anything yet, it's all supposed to come later!"
Sad! Rafiq also revealed that he is hoping to sell his daughter to a wealthy family from Dubai.
April 16, 2009
Image by wenn.com
The filmmakers decided to take $742,000 and create a five-year program aimed at providing healthcare and education for children living in the slums. They joined forces with international child development organization called Plan.
Danny Boyle released a statement saying, "Having benefited so much from the hospitality of the people of Mumbai it is only right that some of the success of the movie be ploughed back into the city in areas where it is needed most and where it can make a real difference to some lives.”
In addition to the money donated, a separate trust called the “Jai Ho” trust was established for the film’s two youngest stars Rubina Ali, who played the young Latika, and Asharuddin Mohammed, who played young Salim. The trust will ensure they will grow up with proper education and housing.
Plan UK's chief executive Marie Staunton said in a statement, "Slumdog Millionaire has shown audiences around the world a snapshot of what life is like for one in six people on the planet. Education really is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty so we will focus the funds on getting children into school, keeping them there and ensuring they are healthy."
What an amazing thing to do! Slumdog touched the lives of so many people this year, and continues to do so.
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