Rubina Ali, also known as Rubina Qureshi, is an Indian child actress who played the child version of Latika in the Oscar-winning film ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award. Following the film's success, she was cast in the Bollywood film ''Kal Kisne Dekha.''
Background
Rubina came from one of the slums of Mumbai, living in the Garib Nagar slum near Bandra station.
Following the success of ''Slumdog Millionaire'' at the 2009 Academy Awards, the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority recommended the child be rehoused, with an official saying the child had "brought laurels to the country" and deserved to be rewarded. On 25 February 2009, the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority announced that Rubina would be given "free houses" so that she would no longer have to live in the Mumbai slum of Garib Nagar. After taking temporary refuge in rental, Rubina and her family were eventually rehoused in her own flat in the Bandra West suburb of Mumbai, bought for her by the ''Jai Ho Trust'' set up by British director Danny Boyle.
Career
Rubina's casting in ''Slumdog Millionaire'' proved controversial with the producers admitting they debated whether to use real slum children in the film fearing it would distort their lives too much. Director Danny Boyle justified the casting saying: "These people have so much prejudice against them, why should we be prejudiced against them as well?"
Critics have claimed Rubina and her co-star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail had been underpaid for their part in the film. This has been disputed by the film's producer, who says the actors had been paid the equivalent of a monthly salary payment for the production company's senior staff in Britain. A trust fund has been set up for the children which will be released to them when they turn eighteen, provided they continue in education until this time.
Both Azharuddin and Rubina attended the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009, along with all of the other actors who played Salim, Jamal and Latika. Azharuddin was accompanied by his mother Shameem Ismail, while Rubina was accompanied by her uncle. This was her first journey outside of Mumbai.
In March 2009, Rubina was cast in the upcoming Bollywood film ''Kal Kisne Dekha'' , alongside her ''Slumdog Millionaire'' co-star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail. The film is being directed by Vivek Sharma and will feature the Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla in cameo roles.