stings

Slumdog Dad Cleared, but Sad Tale Isn’t Over Yet

Just as we surmised, Indian authorities have determined that they don’t have enough evidence to prosecute Rafiq Qureshi, father of 9-year-old Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali, on charges that he attempted to sell his daughter to undercover “journalists” posing as emissaries of a wealthy Arab sheikh. While we have no doubts that all of the parties involved in this despicable situation bear culpability for their actions, the sad fact of the matter is that the success of the 2009 Oscar winner for Best Picture has all but ripped the Qureshi/Ali clan apart. Not only were Rubina’s mother and stepmother caught on camera exchanging fisticuffs on the streets of Mumbai the other day (in an event that Fox News breathlessly described as a “Slumdog smackdown”), but the London Times is quoting Rubina’s 13-year-old sister, Ali, as saying that “My father said I was unwanted and Rubina was more precious. The Oscar has destroyed my family.” We’d like to think that this situation is going to get better before it gets worse, but our gut is telling us otherwise.

Indian Police Clear “Slumdog” Child Star’s Father [NYT]

Slumdog Dad Cleared, but Sad Tale Isn’t Over Yet