This is a convoluted story, and most likely only parts of it are true. This weekend, the British newspaper News of the World reported that the father of one of the child-actors in Slumdog Millionaire tried to sell his daughter for more than $400,000. That report is now being denied by the father, Rafiq Ali, through a family friend: “This isn’t true – he will happily discuss job offers but there is no question of letting his daughter go. He loves her and is proud of her. He’s a good man and is deeply offended that anyone would accuse him of selling his daughter.”

Rubina Ali, the little girl who played the young Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, is one of the actors who will receive money from a trust set up by Danny Boyle and the film’s producers. Rubina’s father, Rafiq, claims that he has only been trying to negotiate more acting roles for his daughter, not trying to sell her. According to News of the World, Rafiq (or Rubina’s uncle, it’s unclear) was trying to sell Rubina to “a wealthy Middle Eastern family for adoption. When the deal fell through, the paper contacted the girl’s family under the pretence of adopting her.” That is when the uncle “confirmed” that the girl was for sale. The Daily Mail has more on the story:

The father of the child star who won hearts across the world for her role in Slumdog Millionaire denies he offered her up for adoption for £270,000.

Rubina Ali, who played the young Latika in the Oscar-winning film, was reportedly put up for adoption by father Rafiq Qureshi – for a hefty asking price. But he now denies he was trying to ‘sell’ Rubina, 9, to undercover newspaper reporters.

Rafiq claims he believed he was discussing a ‘well-paying’ film role and would never put his children up for sale.

‘Rubina’s father was contacted through a friend, who was told there was a lot of money on offer if she would work for him,’ said a close family friend.

‘Rafiq didn’t understand everything that was being said to him but he was happy to discuss money for a well-paying job for his daughter. She loves being in movies and the family need the money,’ he added.

An undercover investigation by the News of the World reportedly discovered that Rafiq was offering Rubina to a wealthy Middle Eastern family for adoption. When the deal fell through, the paper contacted the girl’s family under the pretence of adopting her.

Rubina’s uncle is believed to have confirmed the family were interested in ‘selling’ the young star for millions of rupees.

‘Yes, we are interested in securing our girl’s future… Obviously if you wanted to adopt we could discuss this, but her parents would also expect some proper compensation in return,’ the paper quoted the uncle as saying.

But Rubina’s father now denies the allegations. ‘This isn’t true – he will happily discuss job offers but there is no question of letting his daughter go. He loves her and is proud of her. He’s a good man and is deeply offended that anyone would accuse him of selling his daughter,’ said the family friend.

Rafiq was said to be angry that despite the Oscar success of the film, his family were still living in poverty in the slums of Mumbai.

Slumdog director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson have set up a fund for Rubina and her young co-star Azharuddin Ismail to give them a proper education, decent housing and support to cope with their fame. The child stars have also each been given a luxury apartment in Kerala, south India, by the sound engineer who worked on the film. But Rubina’s father claims the family have seen nothing of the promised rewards.

‘We haven’t got anything yet, it’s all supposed to come later,’ he told the undercover reporters. The family then reportedly offered Rubina for the price of 20million rupees – around £270,000.

From The Daily Mail

Not to be rude, but did anyone at News of the World or The Daily Mail consider that parts of these conversations/negotiations were lost in translation? That Rafiq Ali or this child-selling uncle simply didn’t understand the specifics of what was being discussed? The News of the World is the bottom of the barrel of tabloid journalism, so that alone makes me believe that Rafiq Ali had no desire or inclination to sell his daughter, and that he thought work and salaries were being discussed.

The trust fund is hopefully completed, and the Indian families will be moving into their new homes soon. I hope the young actors do get a chance to act and work again in film, and I pray they get great educational opportunities.

Rubina Ali is shown with her father (header) at her uncle’s house in Mumbai on 2/26/09. Credit: BARM/Fame Pictures

After much consternation and accusations back and forth, Slumdog Millionaire’s producers and director have finally stepped up for the young child-actors in the film, as well as the children of Mumbai. They have announced a 500,000 pound (roughly $742,000) donation to Plan, “an international children development organization… aimed at providing healthcare and education” over a five-year period. Although the details are rough, I’m assuming that the donation is going to be targeted towards children living in Mumbai’s slums.

In addition to that donation, a trust will be provided to the two Slumdog children (Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) in the same amount – roughly $742,000. The Slumdog producers are calling it the Jai Ho Trust, and the money will go towards housing and education.

The producers of Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire are hoping the change the lives of some real life children living in Mumbai slums.

On Thursday, the filmmakers announced they would donate of £500,000 (about $742,000) to create a five-year program aimed at providing healthcare and education for children in conjunction with Plan, an international children development organization.

“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,” Slumdog’s director Danny Boyle said in a statement.

In addition to the £500,000, a separate trust, called the Jai Ho Trust, has been established to look after two of the film’s child stars – Rubina Ali (youngest Latika) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Salim) – and ensure that they receive an education and have housing provided for them.

“Slumdog Millionaire has shown audiences around the world a snapshot of what life is like for one in six people on the planet,” Plan UK’s chief executive Marie Staunton said in a statement. “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.”

From People Magazine

This information comes on the heels of last week’s revelation that Slumdog’s producers still hadn’t done anything for the kids. Damage control? Or perhaps they were just taking their sweet time, setting up the trust? I’ll give them some benefit of the doubt that they could have just been taking the time to set up the trust properly. But it’s probably mostly damage control. In any case, it’s good to see Danny Boyle and the producers honor their promises to these kids. We wouldn’t be so worked up over this issue if Danny Boyle hadn’t come out during the promotion of the film to claim that the kids would be taken care of with housing and education. It’s a nice touch that the producers also donated to an international aid organization that’s helping children around the world who are struggling in poverty.

Rubina and Azhar are shown with designer Ashima Lina Singh on 3/18/09 and on the runway at her shown on 3/19/09. Credit: Fame

The young stars of Slumdog Millionaire were flown from Mumbai to LA for the Oscars in February where they were thrilled by the glitz and glamor and seemed to have a great time. They also enjoyed a few days at Disneyland afterwards.

At least two of the lead child actors shown in the film continue to live in poverty in the very rough conditions that some people say were glamorized in Slumdog. Ten-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed and his family live under a tarp. His father has tuberculosis and may die soon. His mother is blind in one eye, but her condition could be fixed with a simple operation. Nine-year-old Rubina Ali is faring slightly better. Her family has a tin shack and she recently earned thousands for shooting a soft drink commercial with Nicole Kidman. She still has raw sewage running directly in front of her family’s shack, though.

There was a lot of controversy over the fact that the children were paid less than $3,000 a piece for their role in a film which went on to win multiple Oscars and gross $292 million worldwide. Director Danny Boyle assured everyone that the families would be given apartments and that trusts were set up for the children to be turned over to them when they completed school. It has been six weeks since the Oscars though, and the children are still living in the slums of Mumbai. Their families say no one from the film has contacted them at all. The financial support provided by producers has barely extended beyond the initial meager acting fee.

Dressed in the most expensive clothes they had ever worn, Slumdog Millionaire’s child stars thought their life of poverty and deprivation was over after the film’s haul of eight Oscars. They had been promised new homes, money and an education. But six weeks after being flown to Hollywood and lavished with praise Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail feel angry, bitter and betrayed.

Mention the name of Danny Boyle, once seen as the hero who would rescue them from the slums, and disappointment is etched across the face of the two children plucked from poverty to star in his hit film. Boyle and producer Christian Coulson stand accused of betraying the film’s most vulnerable young stars.

Public promises of new homes, money and education have failed to materialise. No one from the production company has been to visit, nor have they bothered to phone.

Rubina and Azhar, who played the youngest Latika and Salim, are still living in the slums – a year after filming their critically acclaimed roles, they are resigned to the likelihood that they always will. If the children are disappointed, their parents are furious.

“We have been abandoned by Danny Boyle and his associates,” said Rafiq Qureshi, the father of Rubina. “He promised us a lot when the film won at the Oscars but since then no one has come to visit us.

“We’ve been given no money and no house. There is no trust fund that I’ve been told about. The monthly allowance promised to Rubina and Azhar stopped before they even went to the Oscars.

“I feel betrayed and hurt. All these promises came to nothing.”

Boyle and Coulson repeatedly made public promises of education, money to buy a house and a trust fund for the children, claiming it was one of their top priorities.

“We have paid painstaking and considered attention to how Azhar and Rubina’s involvement in the film could be of lasting benefit to them over and above the payment they received for their work,” said Boyle in a statement at the time of the Oscars.

“The children had never attended school, and in consultation with their parents we agreed that this would be our priority.

“Since June 2008 and at our expense, both kids have been attending school and they are flourishing under the tutelage of their dedicated and committed teachers.

“Financial resources have been made available for their education until they are 18. We were delighted to see them progressing well when we visited their school and met with their teachers last week.”

The reality, according to Rubina’s father, is somewhat different. Education at the government school is free. The only expense spent by Slumdog’s producers is on an autorickshaw to take them to school, costing £1 per day.

Despite grossing over £185 million worldwide and winning eight Oscars the impoverished families of Slumdog’s youngest stars claim they do not even have enough money to buy simple medicines.

And despite repeated public guarantees the financial security promised to the children and their families has yet to materialise.

Last month Rubina and Azhar were sent by their desperate parents cap-in hand-to Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful politician, to plead their case for a new home.

“We don’t have a good house to live in. We have made the country proud by acting in a film that won eight Oscar awards. We feel that we have done a good job for our country so we want Sonia to give us a good house,” said nine-year-old Rubina.

Travelling to Delhi to meet Gandhi, the President of India’s ruling Congress Party, the two destitute child-actors and their families claimed they had been badly let down after their work in the multi-award winning film.

“The film’s producers promised us a new home and that my child would receive a trust fund for her education, but nothing has come of this,” said Mr Quershi.

“We were paid £700 for my child’s one month of work and other provisions such as traveling costs were provided, but what we were promised and what we have received does not match up.”

On numerous occasions Coulson and Boyle promised the now famous children would be given money for a house and a trust fund that would be made available to them when and if they stayed in education until their 18th birthday.

“These are bricks and mortar flats. They will have electricity, running water and good sanitation,” said Boyle a month ago.

“They will still be close to their friends and extended family. Their community is very important to them, and they don’t want to move too far away from them.”

Mr Qureshi, 36, is furious at what he sees as a betrayal. He has refused permission for Rubina to act in other films unless she is paid in advance.

“When my child began filming at the beginning of 2008 we were led to believe that £35,000 would be split and used to buy my family and Azharuddin’s family two homes,” he said.

“And we also believed that the same amount would be put aside in a trust fund to be split between Rubina and Azharuddin when they reached 18 and left school.

“I have seen no papers, I have no bank details, no one from Celador or Fox-Searchlight has been to my home to see me.

“I have given up on them because they seem to have forgotten about us. I should have known better than to trust them.”

[From BARM/Fame. Article written by James Nye at Barcroft Media]

Maybe now that Boyle’s broken promises are getting press he’ll step up to the plate and actually arrange the apartments he repeatedly promised for these families. It’s outrageous that these children were brought to the Oscars and to Disneyland and that they can’t even return to one bedroom apartments with running water. Many people say that it’s not up to Boyle to provide financial assistance to these families, but surely he could at least give them the cheap apartments he promised.

If Doyle doesn’t help these kids, they may be able to work their way out of the slums on their own. They recently walked the runway for Indian designing team Ashima and Leena. Now that it’s known that they’re still struggling they may get more opportunities.

Photo and story credit: BARM/Fame Pictures

The actors of the Oscar-winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” are enjoying big career boosts since the film became an international sensation. The latest to reap some rewards is Anil Kapoor, who portrayed the game show host of the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” in the film. Kapoor has signed on to play a Jack Bauer-ish Indian counter-terrorist agent on the next season of FOX’s hit thriller “24.”

Anil Kapoor, the Bollywood actor best known as the Regis Philbin of India in the Oscar-winning hit “Slumdog Millionaire,” is set to join the cast of “24″ next year, The Enquirer has learned.

The 49-year-old star is expected to play a counterterrorist from Mumbai who works with “24″ star Kiefer Sutherland’s character to root out Southeast Asian extremists, sources say.

“The way the role is viewed now, Anil would play Jack Bauer’s counterpart in India,” a network insider divulged. “When they meet to work on a case, they don’t always see eye-to-eye. But they both have the same goal, which is to stop the bad guys before they start wreaking havoc.”

[From The National Enquirer print version, March 30, 3009]

This is cool news. As a huge fan of the show, I am beyond psyched at the rebound of this year’s season. After a dismal storyline last year, the show is back and better than ever. In fact, since this year’s action-packed, suspenseful season started, I have no fingernails! Let’s hope the final arc of this season is as strong as the first – and that the success continues next season.

Here’s Slumdog Millionaire’s child actors Rubina Ali Qureishi and Azzharruddin Ismail walking the catwalk for the Ashima Leena fashion show during Indian fashion week in New Delhi yesterday. Header of Anil Kapoor at Madeo restaurant in West Hollywood on March 3rd. Images thanks to Fame.com.

Anyone tuning in to the E! Red Carpet Oscar show saw the most adorable Indian child actors ever. The brave little souls from Slumdog Millionaire faced down Ryan Seacrest and his barrage of inanities, and probably even more from the other entertainment news outlets. The kids were cheerful and polite, if a little confused. But they bore it all well, and at the end of the night, they got to climb up on-stage as part of their film’s Best Picture win.

The day after the Oscars, the kids got a special treat – they got to go to Disneyland, which was probably a lot of fun for them. Then, after their whirlwind American visit, they returned home Mumbai, where they were greeted as conquering heroes. I saw the footage of this on MSNBC, and it was startling – there was a huge crush of people. But once again, the kids were brave, and even answered questions from the awaiting journalists. The Daily Telegraph has more:

Slumdog Millionaire’s child stars Azhuruddin Ismail and Rubina Ali have flown back to Mumbai from Los Angeles after their Oscar success. They headed straight back to the slums just days after being on stage to collect the film’s Best Picture award at the ceremony on Sunday.

They went from riches-to-rags again as two silver Mercedes swept them and their parents through the city and dropped them out at their homes in one of Mumbai’s dirtiest slums.

Azhuruddin, 10, was reluctant to leave the comfort of the air-conditioned cars as he was greeted by crowds at his home. Rubina, 9, clutched a small fluffy brown toy bunny and pair waved and blew kisses to the crowd, showing off their newly acquired red carpet skills.

Neighbours had put on a party for Azhuruddin, with large speakers playing the hit Bollywood songs from the film, but the planned celebrations turned into a chaos.

Azharuddin, who plays the young Salim in the film, was accompanied by his mother in LA and was greeted at the airport by his father who suffers from TB. The young actor said he had the time of his life in America.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I was signed autographs and was given a smart suit to wear. I didn’t understand much but it was fun. I did not know what the Oscars were before I went.”

“I was asked to sign autographs and everything. I felt like Shah Rukh Khan (one of Bollywood’s biggest stars). Danny-uncle (Danny Boyle) took us all around America. It was great to see him again. We went to Disneyland. I loved it so much.”

On Tuesday, Mumbai’s housing body announced they were giving the two families a flat each because they had made the country proud. However, for now, Azaruddin and Rubina are back from the red carpet and straight into the slum.

The movie’s two Indian Oscar winners, composer A R Rahman and sound engineer Resul Pookutty also were met by cheering throngs who showered them in flower petals as they arrived in their home towns.

Rahman, who won Oscars for musical score and the best song “Jai Ho” – “Be Victorious” in English – led the dancing crowd in chants of “Jai Ho!”

“They (the fans) almost killed me with their love,” he said after landing in the southern city of Madras. Pookutty was also overwhelmed by his reception.

“I never expected something like this,” he told reporters. “This is history being made,” he said of his award.

From The Daily Telegraph

It sounds really incredible, doesn’t it? And I love, love, love that they call Danny Boyle “Danny-Uncle”. It’s a very Indian thing, to treat Danny as a family member, and to refer to their director in such an affectionate, familial way.

The Daily Telegraph makes mention of the fact that the kids were dropped off in their slums homes, but I saw an interview with Dannny Boyle immediately after the Oscars, where he said that the kids and their families were definitely getting new homes. Maybe it’s going to take a little time for all of that to happen.

This must be such an extraordinary time for everyone involved in Slumdog Millionaire. The Bollywood film industry is so huge, and many Bollywood stars would enjoy a breakthrough to Hollywood films. On the same note, Hollywood would love to have a foothold in the Indian film market – increasing Indian interest in Hollywood films could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year for Hollywood. It’s so interesting that this film is, by many accounts, the breakthrough that Bollywood and Hollywood were looking for.

Photo Credit: BARM/Fame Pictures

Child star Azhar points out his family’s ‘house’ under a plastic sheet to a BBC reporter. Watch this shocking BBC News segment on YouTube.

The child stars of Oscar favorite Slumdog Millionaire have been invited to attend the Academy Awards in Hollywood this Sunday. 10 year-old Azharuddin Ismail and 9 year-old Rubina Ali still live in tiny shacks with their families in the slums of Mumbai. Slumdog director Danny Boyle has been criticized for only paying the children less than $3,000 each for their parts in the film, which has grossed over $151 million worldwide. Boyle counters that each child is now being sent to school at the film’s expense and that a trust is being set up for them which will allow their families to purchase homes once they finish school at the age of 18. Many, including Kaiser, liken that to modern day colonialism and say that it may be too late for their families to live dignified lives by that time. Little Azhar’s dad suffers from tuberculosis and is likely to pass if he continues to live almost in the open for those eight long years.

Boyle is likely trying to counter the controversy by inviting all of the 9 child stars of the film to the Oscars, but will he do the right thing for their families afterwards or just send them back to live in the slums until they finish school? They would have lived that way anyway, right?

Azhar’s dad, who has tuberculosis

MUMBAI, India — In the slums where they live, goats pick over piles of trash and men kneel in the street to pray. But the young stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” were cruising Mumbai in an air-conditioned Toyota Friday, doing last-minute shopping and getting advice on the unimaginable: air travel.

The slumdog kids had just got the good news _ they were going to the Oscars.

“I feel very very very very very very good,” 10-year-old Azharuddin Ismail said, sitting across from his home, a scruffy lean-to of tarps and blankets.

He’d never been on plane. He’d never traveled outside India. And, when pressed, he couldn’t name any Hollywood stars he’d really like to meet.

Neither could Rubina Ali, his 9-year-old co-star and neighbor.

Both were plucked from the slums of Mumbai by director Danny Boyle to star in “Slumdog Millionaire,” a rags-to-riches tale of a slum kid who makes it big. The film has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Azhar, as his friends call him, was cast as the hero Jamal Malik’s brother Salim, and Rubina as the young Latika, who grows up to be his love interest.

All nine actors who play the three lead characters in three stages of their lives will attend the awards ceremony Sunday. “The kids are on their way to the Oscars! Everyone is very excited!” Boyle said in an e-mail confirming the good news Friday.

[From AP via Huffington Post]

Yesterday I saw a segment on BBC news about the two families of Azhar and Rubina with footage of how they live. It is one thing to hear or read about it, but seeing how they live really brings it home. Azhar’s family doesn’t even have a roof and lives under a plastic sheet. Azhar was crying and his dad said they didn’t want to be shown that way. Azhar’s dad is bone thin and he pulled the skin on his arm to show how pliant it was from chronic tuberculosis. Rubina is doing a little better as her family has a roof. She says she wants to become an actress and use the money to help the poor.

Of course these children’s lives were changed by these roles, but it’s not enough to just pluck them out and show them looking cute on film and at events when it’s convenient. How much would it cost to change their lives now?

There are countless other families living like this all over the world, and you can’t change the world or even a portion of a slum with a movie. At least this film has brought awareness to it, though, and maybe after some pressure the filmmakers will help these families and not let the father of one their child stars die without getting proper medical treatment and a roof over his head. Maybe by inviting them to the Oscars they’re taking more of a determined step in that direction.

You can watch the BBC News segment of the families of the two child stars on YouTube. I would include it here but embedding is disabled.

Azhar crying as he talks about how he lives