Slumdog Millionaire Star Rubina Ali OFFERED FOR SALE By Her Father

News Of The World:

THE poverty-stricken father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali plans to become a millionaire himself-by SELLING his nine-year-old daughter.

In a bid to escape India's real-life slums, Rafiq Qureshi put angel-faced darling of the Oscars Rubina up for adoption, demanding millions of rupees worth £200,000.

As he offered the shocking deal to the News of the World's undercover fake sheik this week, Rafiq declared: "I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future."

Read the whole story: News Of The World

Comments

[gbrooks]

That article sounds like something straight out of the enquirer, but if I had the money I'd adopt her in a heartbeat.

Perhaps Madonna or Angelina will swoop in to save the day.

[OrganOfThought]

why doesn't the dad adopt out the kid for free? why don't westerners adopt less pretty little kids? why would spend 200k pounds (almost 400k to dollars) to buy out this greedy dad when you could help a whole bunch of kids with that money. is it because she is a pretty and famous kid?

[swift goat pet for truth]

True story, or not.

In third world countries, in Africa, Asia and Latin America, parents sell their kids to predators every day.

That is a sad fact.

[who38]

And for very little money. Wouldn't it be nice if the anti-abortion folk went to those countries to help those children?

[ebanks84]

That's pitiful. I wish someone would adopt this child and give her a decent lifestyle. Poor kid.

[who38]

There are organizations that might do this. Try google.

[IAmDamoSuzuki]

#1: The producers of 'Slumdog' paid standard rates to all of the secondary actors. Yes, Rubina Ali would be considered a secondary actor based on the number of lines of dialogue and screen time, not some fantasy you have about her importance to the story. The film industry has standards for pay like any other industry. What industry allows people who are hired for a specific job to demand extra money because the product of the industry is successful? Sorry, but: It doesn't exist. McDonald's doesn't pay for your expenses for the rest of your life because you sold extra hamburgers for them. The actors were hired under a contract, which they all agreed to, you cannot change the terms of an employment contract after the job is over. #2: The producers of this film have already gone above and beyond what they were contractually obligated to do by setting up a trust fund for the impoverished child actors and providing them with housing and other gifts. AGAIN: This is virtually unheard of in any industry.

It is very, very sad that this child actor has a despicable family that has brought her up in poverty, and are ignorant, selfish jerks and crass extortionists. I do hope that this article helps her and children like her, but the producers of this film are not responsible for Rubina any more than your boss is responsible for you after you leave work to go home at night. Get real.

[Virginia Wai]

Great posting, thanks.

[timetorevolt]

My coworker, an Indian American, thinks that India has higher ethical standards than we do because India doesn't have a high unwed teen pregancy rate. When I argued that they have a far more ophrans than most countries she claimed that was a result of rape.. So my next question was how is that more ethical..

Based on that conversation, I have come to the conclusion that unless the majority of Indians change this will continue. There is a caste system and even the Indians who are now American citizens don't think there is a real problem becuase most of them are upper class.

[levibatgirl]

'Based on that conversation,'

Do you have any idea how huge India is?
Or do you think if you meet one Indian, you've met them all?
There is diversity of cultures all over India.

[Mum]

Amen to this.

[AGarcia]

Great post. I understand many members of Mumbai's upper caste were unhappy about "Slumdog Millionaire" winning the Academy Award because they didn't want to the West to see that side of India. Your post is the REAL story.

[whitemerlot]

I fail to see how you've narrowed this down to an Indian problem. I think it's more of a poverty problem. Here in America, a "safe haven" law set for Nebraska required hospitals to offer to anonymously accept babies from impoverished parents- only to have mothers show up from around the country dropping off kids as old as 12. If the father of Rubina didn't ask for payment in turn for putting her up for adoption, I'd say this story is sad but not very unusual. As for your Indian-American friends, they need to stop pretending that India is any more morally superior than anywhere else (I'm Indian-American, btw).

[AGarcia]

The caste system is Indian, it's part of the culture. That is undeniable.

[timetorevolt]

I didn't say it was just an Indian problem... I related a conversation I had with a coworker who is Indian since the story is about an Indian child. So your " failure to see how I've narrowed this down to be an Inidan problem " has to do with your reading comprehension not my post.

[Virginia Wai]

Proverty is not a good enough excuse to sell your children, there s such thing as contraception if you know you cannot afford to feed them; there are also multititudes of charity that will find adoptive parent for the children.
Open your eye and see the evil that is BAD EXPLOITIVE parents.

[anothervoice2]

One conversation and out with the stereotype.
Sure, and all of America is equal to Boosh!?!

[bazokbros]

Ask him to defend the caste system and how it is acceptable and rarely prosecuted to assault people who are of the lowest rung of the caste system. Your friend seems to have an outdated colonial and imperialistic view of his country that is the epitome of violating basic human riights.

[SColbert]

I hardly think the friend has a "outdated colonial view". Indians know what their issues are, we don't need Americans to tell us.

[GerryS]

Madonna thought about it, for one second-

she doesn't like to be upstaged though.

[reallymolly]

I was just coming to say the same thing.

[who38]

Neither does Jane Fonda. Guess we can't expect to hear from her.

[sammcity]

If this story is true ...it is a sad situation for the child (child bride/ live in domestic servant/slave) and a business proposition for the father.. just nasty. Also, just because some one thinks that the daughter may end up in a better financial situation has not been paying attention to child actors, child labor, sweat shops and/or domestic slaves and how they are treated worldwide.

[ywcachieve]

Please folks, remember, English publications/tabloids, make up the most foul lies.

[Chicago48]

I believe the report. The young girl would cover for her father. She wouldn't tell the truth, she's an "actress."

[ywcachieve]

Well, you can believe what you want, that does not make the story true.

[avicenna]

I think your critical assessment of the source of said story is bang on. News of the World actually challenges the National Enquirer when it comes to credibility. If they had gone to all this trouble to "uncover" this shocking story, you'd think seasoned reporters would have at least had some proof in the form of recordings of the transaction. The people of India know very well the virtues of fame and stardom - and, from a totally mercenary point of view, they also know that the investment they have in a young international star is beyond that which could be acquired through an adoption deal. So much of the tale lacks consistency of logic - such as why a poverty stricken family would have any problem from moving from the slums to Kerala or why they wouldn't be set on selling their new housing if they were more interested in the money. What is more shocking is that the British tabloids don't have enough dirt on the homefront that they can exploit for shock value.

[Steamboater]

Denial doesn't help children like this child.

[jdt67]

It disgusts me that a father would do this, but it disgusts me more that he feels it's the only way he can get a member of his family out of India's slums.

[spinmas]

Someone on the news worls comments asked why is the world so messed up? well firts I will balme God, then eurpoeans for carving up and colonizing the word, but God first, he made white folks!

[Bulbul]

Interesting....

[Virginia Wai]

Who made the brown, yellow and black folks then?

[rudyinbama]

Paging Madonna, Angelina, Mia - somebody who won't throw a burqua on the kid or use her as a maid.

[GunneraGirl]

or worse.

[ywcachieve]

That's right. The women you mentioned, really love children.

[who38]

Thank you.

[ThinkLiberal]

I am speechless. How could this possibly happen, when the film did so well? Is it that the directors and other key players are so blinded by $$, avarice and greed, that they couldn't give a d@.mn about this little girl and the other kids who made it happen? And that 'trust fund' sounds to me like one of those slick-trick life insurance policies that is so riddled with arcane language and long-shot conditions that she will never be able to collect on. The short story is that they totally scr3wed over these kids. And her father...how twisted is he? This is sooo sad.

[ProudNeoCon]

Welcome to the rest of the world. Maybe next time you hear the story from Afganistan, Africa or Asia you will remember that human life there worth much less

[ywcachieve]

Human life in those countries are NOT worth much less.

[mlr710]

Yeah...because selling a child has NEVER been tried by an American parent on American soil...right??............NOT

[Steamboater]

Of course it's happened in this country but it's not cultural as it is in many other countries. I'm talking about after slavery. Whereas the selling of children (and not orphans either) is common in countries like India, it's a rare occurance here so the argument you make is more than shallow, and there's a great difference between private adoption agencies placing kids with families for a fee and kids who already have families sold and sold into slavery at that.

[Virginia Wai]

Sorry to disagree with you here, selling happens, I see private adoption as a form of selling; sometimes cheating as well, the mother took the money and change her mind after the baby is born.... this happened to a friend of mind.
Selling - in the form of selling children to become maid, servants or whatever..... probably does not exist, I do not know. I would assume the child can get help from social agencies

[seachild]

hopefully this is not a TRUE story...if so, GOOD GRIEF

[TLaw]

HELLOOoooo

The News of the World is England's National Enquirer...

[seachild]

but some of the Enquirer's stories ended up TRUE...

[clsmithj]

the only story of that coming to mind would be the story of John Edwards' affair.

[Steamboater]

The Enquirer's a rag true but a lot of their stories have proved true and not just the Edward's Affair e.g., Bill Clinton and Lewinski and all the others, all the stories about pop stars Brittany etc and I'm sure they were the ones who first reported on Gary Hart and his mess which sank his chances for the presidency. A lot more too. You may not like the reports but that doesn't make them untrue.