Somy Ali

QAMYAB – THE FORGOTTEN GEMS OF BOLLYWOOD

Qamyab is our humble tribute to all those lesser-known actors, one hit wonders and junior artists who we see umpteen times but don’t know about; beyond their faces. These actors have been an integral part of Bollywood but didn’t get their due. This series is our sincere attempt to put a name to these faces, familiarize them to our readers and celebrate their achievements in life – however big or small. We believe that every artist contributes in his/her own way to the cinema’s success. Qamyab will explore the unknown lives of such actors and artists as we believe even these forgotten gems of Bollywood deserve their due recognition today.

After Kim Yashpal, Somy Ali was another foreign returned actor who didn’t have a movie career in mind yet ended up as a Bollywood heroine. Having a huge crush on actor Salman Khan, Somy came to meet him in Mumbai and ended up doing a film with him. Talk about dreams coming true!!

Born on 25th March 1976 in Karachi, Pakistan to an Iraqi mother Tehmina and a Pakistani father Madan Ali, Somy studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi. At the age of twelve years, she migrated to South Florida, USA with her mom and brother.

After dropping out of school, Somy Ali led a fast life of parties and vices for a while. Around this time, Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) became a blockbuster success and the young Somy Ali fell in love with its hero Salman Khan so much that she wanted to marry him. At the age of sixteen, she convinced her parents to allow her to move to Bombay (now Mumbai) just to meet her idol Salman.

Soon after, Somy landed in Mumbai and took up some modelling assignments. Her dream of meeting Salman Khan came true and they instantly hit it off as a pair. Somy signed her first film Bulund (1992) with Salman in which they played a blind couple whose blissful life gets shattered when Somy is raped and killed by the villain and Salman seeks revenge. Bulund was nearly eighty percent complete when the project faced financial hurdles after its producer’s death and was abruptly shelved. The same plot was used many years later by producer Rakesh Roshan for Kaabil (2017).

Bulund couldn’t do much for Somy’s career but it brought her close to Salman Khan and they started a relationship, which lasted for eight years. Somy’s Bollywood career started with the shooting of Andolan (1995) but her first release was Krishan Avtaar in which she was paired opposite Mithun Chakraborty. The film was an average grosser at the ticket windows.

Somy Ali’s next was the violent actioner Anth (1994), which became a box office hit and brought her fame and recognition. Somy looked extremely ravishing in the pink chiffon saree gyrating in the rain to ‘Aaja jane jaa…’ song, which became hugely popular amongst the masses.

1994 saw her few more releases like Yaar Gaddar again with Mithun, Teesra Kaun with Chunky Pandey and Aao Pyar Karen with Saif Ali Khan. All the three movies were underperformers at the box office.

Andolan finally saw light of the day in March 1995 in which Somy worked with her boyfriend Salman’s close pal cum professional rival Sanjay Dutt. The film was a moderate success only but Somy’s amazing chemistry with Dutt was much appreciated by the audience.

After a decent start, Somy Ali’s career started sliding downwards due to various controversies surrounding her personal life. There was a lot of negative press regarding her relationship with Salman, particularly some alleged abusive incidents made in public by the action star which were highlighted by the media. Somy’s alleged physical abuse by Salman formed part of every gossip column of that time and it significantly impacted her Bollywood career.

Somy appeared in Mafia (1996) and Chupp (1997) after which she decided to quit Bollywood. Chupp, a songless thriller with Om Puri, was her last release and it sank without a trace due to poor marketing. Her relationship with Salman Khan also broke up shortly later and in December 1999, Somy returned to South Florida to complete her education.

In America, Somy completed her undergraduate degree in psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and later, attended the masters course in broadcast journalism in the University of Miami. She also obtained a certificate in broadcast journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Florida. She later joined the New York Film Academy and graduated in a filmmaking course. She made a few short films on abortion, domestic violence and teenage suicide during this period.

In the new millennium, Somy Ali became actively involved in social causes particularly women empowerment in South Asia. She has written noteworthy articles about rape and domestic violence victims highlighting their plight and basic human rights. She started a non-profit organization ‘No More Tears’ in 2006, which works for the noble cause of women upliftment. Her clothing line is called So-Me Designs and its profits are donated to this organization.

Somy Ali has received many awards for her social contribution. In 2011, Somy Ali was honoured with the American Heritage Award from the American Immigration Council for her notable work with No More Tears, The Daily Point of Light Award in 2015 by President George W. Bush and The National Domestic Violence Month “A Proclamation” by President Barack Obama.

In 2022, Somy was featured in the Discovery+ docu-series Fight or Flight for her No More Tears initiative.

In her short stint in Bollywood in the ’90s, Somy Ali worked in around ten films but still managed to leave her mark in the audience mind. She has worked with top actors of that time like Mithun Chakraborty, Dharmendra, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, etc. She continues to visit India for her philanthropic work as well as leisure purpose and is said to be in touch with Salman’s family even now. From an actor to a social activist, Somy Ali has indeed come a long way!!