A 16-year-old girl in the US, who falls head over heels in love with Salman Khan, feels they are destined to be together. With this strong thought in mind she comes to India, meets the man of her dreams, and even collaborates with him professionally, though the film they worked on got shelved. Yes, we all know about Somy Ali and Salman Khan’s fascinating love story and professional camaraderie. She did other Bollywood projects too but then things did not go well with Khan and Somy left her acting career, life in India behind, went back to US and has now dedicated her life to humanitarian work.
Taking a trip down memory lane, she remembers the days gone by, especially the Salman episode. “We used to watch Hindi films. I saw Maine Pyar Kiya, and developed a crush on Salman. I had a dream that night, and I decided to go to India. When I was 16, it was ridiculous for me to think that I could go to Mumbai and marry him. I dreamt of marriage and thought it was a prediction from God. I started looking for a suitcase. I told mom that I’m going to Mumbai to get married to Salman Khan! She was in the Amitabh (Bachchan) era, so she asked me, ‘Who is Salman?’ I informed her. ‘He is a big star and I had a dream from God! It is a sign.’ She immediately locked me in a room. Ultimately I told dad I wish to meet our relatives in Mumbai and see the Taj Mahal. I played the religious card to convince him. I went to Pakistan and then flew to Mumbai. I kept Salman’s photo in my wallet. By the time I reached here, Baaghi (1990) had released, and Salman was already a megastar,” she shares.
Meeting Salman and getting to know that he too shares similar romantic feelings for her changed her life. “We were heading to Nepal. I was sitting next to him. I just removed his photo showing it to him. I told him, ‘I have come all the way to marry you!’ He said, ‘I have a girlfriend’. I said that doesn’t matter. I was a teenager. Our relationship started after a year when I turned 17. He did tell me first, ‘I love you.’ It didn’t take a lot of convincing,” she shares.
The couple were together for almost a decade. Reminiscing those days she has kind works for the actor and his family.
“I learned a lot from Salman and his parents. Ultimately, in any relationship, if you are not happy, it’s better to part ways. That was the case of the relationship between Salman and me. I decided to go back to America. What I learned from his parents is so phenomenal. They had an open house. Everyday people would come and go. They would be loving and feed them. The door was never locked. Another pivotal lesson I learned is that we are all the same. They did not differentiate any religion at all,” she continues, “Salman was a huge animal lover. He would pick up injured stray cats. He is generous. His foundation is doing phenomenal work. I commend him for that.”
So after she returned to the US, Somy concentrated on completing her education and started her NGO, No More Tears. She has not been in a relationship after her break-up with Salman.
“I had no affairs. When I came back from India, I immersed myself in education to overcome what I went through. There are no secrets about why I broke up with Salman and what was happening in public places. I was a dropout from grade 9. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degree in broadcasting journalism. I went to the New York Film Academy,” she reveals.
Somy wants to put forth that she is happily married to No More Tears and her work. “I’m very picky, and it’s very difficult for me to date as I’m working 24X7 for my NGO. Hypothetically speaking, if I was on a dinner date and I received a call from the police that there is a woman victim who speaks only Hindi, I would walk off that dinner. I will have to find a person who will understand that I even get calls for help at 4 a.m. For me, there are a lot of roadblocks when it comes to dating in my life. It is almost like a horror-crime movie. My priority in my life is my NGO,” she declares.