Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 6, 2011)

Mumbai: Rubina Ali, who essayed the role of young Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, lost all the international awards she had won in the Garib Nagar blaze that took place on Friday night.

 

Rubina, now a Std III student, had to miss school on Saturday. “I lost the six trophies I had won in the fire. Thankfully, my passport was spared.” She won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Slumdog Millionaire and was also honoured at the Academy Awards. “We couldn’t save much. All her clothes, including the dress she wore at the Oscars, and jewellery are gone,’’ her father, Rafiq Qureshi added.

Both Rubina and her co-star Azharuddin were promised homes and education by filmmaker Danny Boyle. While Azhar moved into his new house in Santa Cruz, Rubina and her family were still living at Garib Nagar. Qureshi sought a home in Bandra as he had set up his business there. Niraja Mattoo of Plan India, the NGO which is funding the children’s education and homes, said, “Rubina has got a house in Bandra (West) and will be moving there by next month.”

Rubina and Azhar are not the only kids from Garib Nagar who work in films and television. Parvez Shaikh, coordinator for child artistes, had been living here for 20 years. “I got work for 25 to 30 kids in films and television serials. I managed to saved my family, but our belongings were burnt in the fire. Mera sab kuch khatam ho gaya (It’s all over for More >