Mumbai: Pakistan-born actress Somy Ali, who was rumoured to be in a relationship with superstar Salman Khan in the nineties, says though she had a brief career in Bollywood, she does believe that love made her take decisions that she now considers a mistake. The actress, currently based in Miami, adds that she never felt like she could fit in the world of acting, although she does miss India.
Somy landed in Mumbai in 1991. However, after a very brief stint in Hindi films she finally left India in 1999 and thereafter started her NGO, No More Tears, to rescue women from domestic abuse.
“I would definitely not call myself a huge Bollywood star. However, my journey was quite serendipitous. It is no secret why I landed in Mumbai as a teenager. It is still baffling to me how I ended up doing 10 films with the biggest stars, given I had absolutely no interest in pursuing an acting career. To sum it up, I was a naive, gullible, and a 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,” Somy tells IANS,
The actress has been a part of films such as Anth (1994), Yaar Gaddar (1994), Aao Pyaar Karein (1994), Andolan (1995) and Chupp (1997).
“I made tons of mistakes solely based on the search for true love that I never actually found. The good thing is 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, and yet I 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 to 24 years old. I left in December of 1999 after ending my relationship which is why I went to India,” she adds.
“The key word here is ‘actress’ and I never fit in that world. It’s not applicable to me. As for others, I understand 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,” she says.
Somy adds: “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 former actress does miss India. “India is 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,” she says.
