Even as Slumdog Millionaire Kid actor Rubina Ali is caught in a controversy with her father trying to sell her, a millionaire from the Gulf has offered her full sponsorship of her education from now to whatever stage she decides.

A R Vanoo from Doha, Qatar, says he is willing to fund Rubina’s schooling in any part of the world, upto a master’s degree or even a doctorate, if she wishes to pursue her studies. With money clearly not an issue, the well wisher is even open to her studying at an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, known to charge steep fees.

Vanoo visited Rubina’s home on Tuesday morning, and met her father and relatives. He spent around an hour with them over a cup of coffee. He held a detailed discussion to understand the requirements of the family before committing himself. “I have not seen Slumdog Millionaire, but know it’s won several Oscars. Three days ago, when I watched television reports about Rubina’s father allegedly trying to sell her off, it disturbed me deeply. I have a young daughter, and I could not watch her suffer so much,” he said.

Though Vanoo was born and brought up at Vakola in Santacruz, which isn’t far from Bandra’s Garib Nagar where Rubina lives, he said he had never visited the area before. It was about 25 years ago that Vanoo shifted to the Gulf in search of a job, before deciding to settle there. He runs a successful business in petrochemicals, oil and gas exports and visits Mumbai often on business trips.

With a father, who Vanoo says was a freedom fighter, he has been closely working with NGOs for several years. He is an advisor to Anjuman-Ittehad-Ul-Mushtaqeem, an NGO that that works to educate people in rural areas. It is through this NGO that Vanoo will give money for Rubina’s education.

“Vanoo is an MBA graduate and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and contributes to several NGOs but never really interacts directly with the people he helps. He, however, made an exception with Rubina,” said Kamal Mandlekar, president of the NGO.