In a very short yet successful journey in B'Town, she featured alongside top Bollywood actors of that time but she called it serendipitous. That's Somy Ali for you who took Bollywood by a storm when she first landed in Mumbai in 1991 for her crush Salman Khan. However, after a good stint in the entertainment industry, she left India in 1999 and thereafter started her NGO, No More Tears to rescue women from domestic abuse.
Speaking of her journey in the industry, she said, "I would definitely not call myself a huge Bollywood star, however, my journey was quite serendipitous, to say the least. It is no secret why I landed in Mumbai as a teenager, it is still baffling to me how I ended up doing ten films with the biggest stars given I had absolutely no interest in pursuing an acting career. To sum it up, I was a naïve, gullible, and silly teenager with a ridiculous crush. I trusted and believed anything and everything the last person I hung out with told me to be the truth."
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"Having said that, I made tons of mistakes solely based on the search for true love which I never actually found. The good thing is though that I have no regrets because I did things my way, no matter what the consequences were, and I did not worry about labels. I was bold, yet innocent, I was precocious, yet repeatedly found myself in scenarios that were the epitome of immaturity. In a nutshell, the journey was wild, fun, traumatic, filled with ups and downs from 16-24 years old. I left in December of 1999 after ending my relationship which is why I went to India," she added.
But asked for her take on acting like many other actresses have done in the past, Somy said, "The keyword here is 'actress' and I never fit in that world so it’s not applicable to me. As for others, I get the high of fame and wanting to obtain it again and again. Who wouldn’t want to be famous and have people at their beck and call? That’s the world of showbiz isn’t it? Also, if this is what makes one happy and they are getting good work, then more power to them, I am happy for them. But it just isn’t and was never my thing."
"My skill set and my high is to save lives and by no means am I disrespecting or undermining the brilliance and talent of actors. I just don’t miss that world. I must add that I have immense respect for actors who can do both, save lives and pursue their love for performance," the Aao Pyaar Karen actress added. Opening up more on her initial days in Bollywood, Somy Ali added, "I was every director’s nightmare and refused to go for rehearsals. I was different from others. I was too Americanised and too much of a tomboy. I was such a misfit in the film industry. I had no interest in pursuing a film career, and my only goal, which sounds preposterous at this age, was that I have to marry Salman."
Somy, who is based in Miami, confessed that though she doesn't miss the industry, she misses India. She said, "I do miss India. It’s one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the opportunity of living in and traveling all over. I miss a few people who were kind to me and stood by me and when I say a few, I mean literally those I can count on my fingers."
