It's hard to believe this is the same little girl who melted hearts in Slumdog Millionaire.Three years after she appeared in the Oscar-winning film, Rubina Ali is all grown up.
And the pretty raven-haired 13-year-old, who has shot up in height, is happier than ever as she is pictured surveying the building which will be her new home. Rubina and her family have been handed the keys to a flat in the desirable Bandra west area of Mumbai. The dwelling has been paid for by a fund set up by Slumdog director Danny Boyle after the film's massive success.
At the moment the youngster lives with her parents, two sisters and brother in a rented house close to the school she attends. They relocated after the slum where they had been living burned to the ground.
The course of Rubina's life was completely changed after she starred in the film. She and fellow child star Azhar Ismail became famous faces around the world and attended the Academy Awards. But there were concerns about the children post-Oscars, as they both returned to poverty.
Danny's Jai Ho foundation intervened however – paying for them to attend school and sorting out proper accommodation. In 2009 Azhar and his family moved to a new home in the middle class Santa Cruz district of Mumbai. The process was delayed for Rubina – reportedly due to a disagreement between the trust and her father.
