She's world famous…and now homeless.
The family of Rubina Ali, the 9-year-old girl who portrayed the young Latika in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, is trying to find shelter after authorities in Mumbai bulldozed their shanty house. This comes less than a week after the home of costar Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (young Salim) was demolished.
"I had gone to the market and when I came back they had razed my house. I don't know where I will sleep tonight," Rubina told Indianexpress.com.
Ali's father, Rafiq Qureshi, was hospitalized after being beaten by bamboo baton-wielding police who moved in to level what they said were 18 "illegally built" shacks in the neighborhood of Garib Nagar, which literally means "colony of the poor. "
The land is owned by the railway authority, which frequently clears out squatters to keep Mumbai's commuter trains moving.
Azhar’s wooden shanty had been torn down last week by the government in a different part of town, but his family has since constructed a new temporary shelter out of wood, tarp and blankets.
While it’s not exactly the fairy-tale ending she was hoping for, Rubina is still going to school and reportedly making good grades. And Slumdog producers have created a trust for her and the film's other child stars, which they will receive once they graduate high school. Boyle and company are keeping mum on the exact amount, worried that family members and others might try to exploit them.