'Slumdog' star kid loses her all awards to Bandra fire

SOURCE - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Slumdog-star-kid-loses-her-awards/articleshow/7637003.cms

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 Danny Boyle. While Azhar moved into his new house in Santa Cruz, Rubina and her family were still living at Garib Nagar. Qureshi had sought a home in Bandra as he has 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 kuchh khatam ho gaya (It's all over for me).''

He screamed and added, " Priya Dutt and Baba Siddiqui come here and tell us that we are encroachers of railway land. It is really shameful that the same lady's father Sunil Dutt had slept in front of the bulldozer and stopped Garib Nagar from being demolished.''

Teenagers Salman, Jafar, Almas and Fayyaz, who played main roles in Irfan Kamal's film Thanks Maa too lost most of their possessions in the fire. The director said, "I am in touch with their families and will work out something for them.''

Boyle and Jai Ho Trust have been working with the slum children of Garib Nagar for over two years now. Mattoo, who is also the trustee of Jai Ho, said, "We informed Danny Boyle about the incident. He was concerned about the children of the area.''

After working with Rubina and Azharuddin in Slumdog, Danny vowed to help other children of Garib Nagar. "He felt it was also his moral responsibility to take care of other kids of the area. Our trust has tied up with Plan India an NGO which is doing the ground work for the kids of the area.''

While Rubina Ali, Slumdog Millionaire star was fluttering around like a butterfly, hundreds of other children of Garib Nagar were burning their small hands with hot food packets that was being given to them by voluntarily organizations. There were others who were carrying half burnt utensils and other stuff to sell to the bhangarwalas who were buying them at Rs 20 per kilogram.

A team of volunteers from Plan India have built tents which can accommodate about 1000 children. Dev Dutt of Plan India said,, " We are working on the relief by providing food and temporary shelter for the children of the area. There are 100 children who were supposed to appear for their board exams but all their hall tickets were burnt in the fire.Although not all of them agreed to appear for the exams after their homes got gutted in the fire, six of them are appearing for the exams after we requested the principals of their school.''

Rubina Ali wearing a red salwar kameez now a class 3 student was feeling bad that she missed school because of the fire that burnt down her house. Refusing to stay in one place, the Slumdog actor said, " I have lost all my six trophies in the fire thankfully my passport is saved.'' Rubina had won the Screen Actor's Guild award for Slumdog Millionaire and was given a citation by the Oscars. She said, " I had won international and national awardsfor my film but all that has gone.'' Her father said, " all my daughter's clothes including what she wore for the Oscars were burnt in the fire. We could hardly save anything. Her gold also got lost.''

Locals of the area were not really liking the attention Rubina, One said, " they already have a house don't know why people are only giving them importance. There are 100s of families that have lost everything and hundreds of children who are homeless.''

Danny Boyle had committed a house and education for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin, the actors of his film Slumdog Millionaire. While Azhar who still had a house in Garib Nagar, he has moved to his new house in Santacruz. Rubina's father Rafique wanted a house in Bandra because of his business still lives in Garib Nagar. But Niraja Mattoo of Plan India, the NGO which is funding their education and home said, " Rubina also has got a house in Bandra West and will be moving there by next month.''

But Rubina and Azhar are not the only kids from Garib Nagar who work in films and television. Child arist coodinatior: Parvez Shaikh who cannot stop crying for his lost house and property that he collected for over 20 years living in the same area said, " I have given jobs to 25 to 30 kids from this area in films and television serials. I saved my family but all belongings of my children and wife were burnt in the fire. Mera Sabkuch Khatam ho gaya madam.'' He screamed and added, " Priya Dutt and Baba Siddiqui come here and tell us that we are encroachers of railway land. It is really shameful that the same lady's father Sunil Dutt had slept in front of the bulldozer and stopped Garib Nagar from being demolished.''

Three other teenage children from Garib Nagar, Salman, Jafar, Almas and Fayyaz have played main roles in Irfan Kamal's film Thanks Maa. The director said, "I am in touch with the families of the kids from my film and will definitely working out something for them.''

Director Danny Boyle and his Jai Ho Trust has been working with the slum children of Garib Nagar for over two years now. Niraja Mattoo, trustee of the Jai Ho told TOI, " We informed Danny about the fire and said he was very concerned about all the children of the area.''

Danny took the responsibility of the wellbeing of the children of Garib Nagar because of the Slumdog Millionaire actors. Mattoo said, " Danny felt it was also his moral responsibility to take care of other kids of the area. Our trust has tied up with Plan India an NGO which is doing the ground work for the kids of the area.''