'Slumdog' Catfight as Moms Slug It Out And Dad Gets Arrested

Rubina Ali's Dad Denies Trying to Sell 'Millionaire' Actress Child

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Just as Rafiq Qureshi's denial about a report claiming he tried to sell his actress daughter made its rounds, the 'Slumdog Millionaire' story gets even stranger as Rubina Ali's mother and step-mother got into a full-on fistfight with photographers there to catch every blow.

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'Slumdog' Actor Slapped by Dad

The Sun reports that 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail was slapped by his dad in the presence of onlookers in the Dharavi slum in Bandra, Mumbai

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The fight began in response to the reports that Qureshi had plotted to sell Ali, the child star of 'Slumdog.' The two women confronted one another in the middle of a Mumbai street, and began "tearing at each other's hair and slapping each other across the face" as 8-year-old Rubina watched, according to the Daily Mail report. Rubina's mother allegedly was "holding the girl's stepmother by the scruff of the neck and repeatedly slapping her," and called the woman a "treacherous b----," telling her to "give my daughter back."

The mother -- Khushi -- then went on to claim that the step-mom -- Munni -- used black magic to control Rubina. She says she's "sure that they want to sell my daughter. They want to bank on her stardom, and that's why they wanted her custody."

The fight comes on the heels of a scandalous report claiming Qureshi was offering to sell his child. He later denied the claims, saying it was all just a language barrier misunderstanding.

Qureshi came out against the News of the World report that he had tried to sell the 9-year-old 'Slumdog' starlet for almost $400,000. A family insider tells The Sun that "Rafiq didn't understand everything that was said to him but he was happy to discuss money for a well-paying job for his daughter. She loves being in movies and the family need the money."

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The source insists that Rafiq had no intentions of selling his daughter, and thought what was being discussed was a job.

Even little Rubina is denying the story, saying that she and her father "went to a hotel and met two people who did not speak Hindi. They said they wanted to adopt me but my father said no."

Qureshi says that his daughter is "so precious to me -- more than life itself. I could not even think of doing anything like that, let alone actually doing it." He continues, saying that "Life is bad at the moment and of course I want us to get out of this slum. We are still waiting for the money and flats that both the 'Slumdog' people and the government have promised to us. But I would never agree to anything like that. Never."

The News of the World report claimed that they hired an undercover "fake sheik" to adopt Ali. They quote Qureshi as saying: "I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future."

The British paper reports that Rafiq's brother helped to engineer a sale, adding, "The child is special now. This is NOT an ordinary child. This is an Oscar child!" Rubina Ali played young Latika in the award-winning film.

News of the World claims they were tipped off by an informant close to the family, and sent a reporter to gather more information. The article details a conversation between the undercover journalist and Rafiq's brother-in-law, who reportedly explained, "Obviously if you wanted to adopt we could discuss this, but her parents would also expect some proper compensation in return."

After a complaint made to police by his ex-wife, Rafiq was arrested by Indian police. The Sun reports that the official leading the investigation said, "Khursida was very upset by the media reports and she came to lodge a complaint. We are registering her grievance and then we'll investigate and decide what further steps should be taken in the matter. "

Christian Colson, the producer of 'Slumdog Millionaire,' said, "Our friends and colleagues in Mumbai are trying to speak with Mr Qureshi to get to the bottom of what happened."

2009-04-19 10:24:06

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