Author Description

From the slums of Garib Nagar in Bandra East to the red carpet of the Oscars nineyear-old Rubina s journey has been an astonishing one, almost as astonishing as Jamal s quiz showvictory in Slumdog Millionaire. This is her story-of playing marbles in the gulees of Garib Nagar with her friends, reluctantlygoing to school and dreaming of acting in films, and then having it come true. But underneath thisfairy tale lies a grimmer reality, the reality that faces countless number of slum children. Rubinabrings alive the world of the chawls with its wastelands and shanty dwellings, the lives of thechildren who grow up in them, the story of her rickshaw puller father, and the rest of her family.She tells us about life on the film set, the aftermath of the Oscars (including the controversy overher father), and how it feels to have the media spotlight on her. What does it mean for a little girl tomove from slum to star so quickly? What will the future hold for her?