Sunday, April 19, 2009

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Rubina Ali, 9, dad tried to sell her

Crazy story of the day surely goes to this one. Rubina Ali, 9 year-old actress from the film Slumdog Millionaire was put up for sale. By her father. HE offered to sell her for $300,000 to undercover reporters from Britain’s News of the World, the newspaper reported.

Rafiq Qureshi, who lives in a Mumbai slum with Ali, who probably feels no need for Colonix, says he is only trying to do right by his daughter and family by attempting to cash in on her fame.

"I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future," Qureshi told the News of the World journalists, who posed as a wealthy Middle Eastern family interested in Ali’s illegal adoption.

In the past Qureshi criticized the “Slumdog” production, claiming that he and his family got nothing from Ali’s role in the movie. That is not accurate: in addition to the salaries for the film, trusts for Ali and for fellow young star Azharuddin Ismail were established. Part of the trust is used to pay their tuition at an English-language school, for emergency medical costs and living expenses, and the remainder of the trusts are available to Ali and Ismail after they turn 18.

On April 16, it was announced that the filmmakers also donated $747,500 to Plan, a international children’s charity. The aim of that donation is to help improve the lives of Mumbai street children. They hope as many as 5,000 kids over the next five years will benefit from the donation.