Ali, second from left in front row, and her pint-size costars at the 2009 Academy Awards
Fame-to-memoir timeline: November 2008-September 2009 (Ten Months)
Fresh-faced cutie Rubina Ali didn’t just cast a spell onscreen as young Latika in Slumdog Millionaire. The first-time actress, a slum child herself, attended the Oscars and, along with her fellow actors, won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in 2009 after the film became a stateside success.
Despite controversies surrounding her casting and salary, Ali knew to make the most of her sudden prominence. Ten months after Slumdog was released in the U.S., Slumgirl Dreaming: Rubina’s Journey to the Stars hit bookshelves. Along with two co-writers, Ali chronicled her meager beginnings, her competition against 500 other children for her breakout role, memorable moments on the film set, and her questions about her future.
The then-nine-year-old proved to be preternaturally generous in addition to talented. Ali donated all royalties from her book to a French medical aid association.