That’s my baby, claims Slumdog Millionaire kid's real mom | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

That’s my baby, claims Slumdog Millionaire kid's real mom

IANS | By
Feb 25, 2009 05:45 PM IST

Little Rubina Ali, the youngest Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, will return from her star-studded visit to the US at the Oscars and walk right into a real-life drama.

Little Rubina Ali, the youngest Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, will return from her star-studded visit to the US and walk right into a real-life drama.

HT Image
HT Image

As the 10-year-old was hobnobbing with A-list movie stars at the Oscars and visiting Disneyland, her biological mom was slugging it out with her stepmother in the family’s Garib Nagar home over the spoils of sudden fame.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Now her biological mom, Khushi Rafiq Qureshi, says stepmother Munni is claiming undue credit for Rubina’s success. “Now that Rubina has become a celebrity, this second woman is claiming to be her mother and wants to take credit for her upbringing. It was my mother-in-law who raised them.”

Khushi left her carpenter husband Rafiq Qureshi and their three children five years ago and now lives separately in a rented accommodation in Navi Mumbai. She denies that she has resurfaced to bask in the child’s success, adding that Rubina must share her good fortune with siblings.

On Monday afternoon, as the Garib Nagar slum was celebrating the film’s sweeping win at the Oscars, Khushi came looking for her daughter, says neighbour Yakub Abdul Sheikh. A row began, and soon neighbours had to step in and separate Khushi and Munni, who, according to some reports, tore the clothes off each other.

‘Me? I want nothing’
Khushi says the disagreement was not over money. “I’m very proud and happy for my daughter. The success is only [due to] her luck and prayers of millions of Indians, not the so-called stepmother who is trying to claim credit,” she says. “I don’t want anything... not the money or gifts. I want it all to be shared by Rubina, her sister Sanaa (12) and brother Abbas (8).”

She added that she left Rafiq “because of his wayward behaviour”, and that she returned “occasionally” to ask about the children. “I even went for Rubina’s film shoots.”

There are fears that the bitterness will escalate now that Rubina and her young co-star Azhar are getting flats from the state.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On