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Somy Ali

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Somy Ali
سومی علی (Urdu)
Ali in 2022
Born (1976-03-25) 25 March 1976 (age 48)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality
  • American
  • Pakistani (formerly)
Education
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Actor, founder and president of No More Tears USA[1]
Political partyDemocratic[2]
PartnerSalman Khan (1991–1999)[3][4]

Somy Ali (Urdu: سومی علی; born 25 March 1976)[5] is a Pakistani-American actress, writer, filmmaker, model and activist who has worked in Bollywood films.[6] She runs a non-profit organization named No More Tears since 2007.[7]

Early life

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Somy Ali was born on 25 March 1976, in Karachi in Sindh, Pakistan into a family of wealth and prosperity.[8] Her mother Tehmina is Iraqi and her father Madan is Pakistani. After studying at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi until age 9, she moved to South Florida in the United States with her mother and brother.[9] During an interview, Ali revealed that she was sexually abused at the ages of 5 and 9 by her household staff while living in Karachi, Pakistan and when she shifted to Florida, she was bullied at school and raped by a boy, 17, at the age of 14 in Miami.[10][8] Her mother was also a victim of domestic violence in Pakistan that she and her brother would have to witness.[8][11]

After she dropped out of school, Ali convinced her father to allow her to move to the home of Bollywood, Mumbai in Maharashtra, India, at age 16 due to her inspiration from her teenage crush, Bollywood actor, Salman Khan.[8] She was involved in modeling projects and also performed in Hindi movies while in Mumbai. She had ten appearances in Bollywood movies between 1991 and 1998, as a leading lady with top Bollywood actors.[5] She was in a relationship with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan for eight years from 1991 to 1999. In December 1999, she returned to South Florida to continue her studies.[12]

Education

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When she moved back to Florida, Ali acquired her GED and then attended Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida, where she majored in psychology, and obtained her undergraduate degree in two years.[8] She also became very interested in journalism and documentary filmmaking. Soon she decided to attend the University of Miami to obtain a master's degree in broadcast journalism, psychology and filmmaking. She went on to attend New York Film Academy where she graduated to a degree in filmmaking, direction, screenwriting and editing. Her early projects included short films on abortion, domestic violence, and teenage suicide. She later attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Florida and obtained a certification in broadcast journalism in 2004.[13]

Career

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Ali became involved with women's rights issues in South Asia. She works toward publicizing, bringing the plight of rape and domestic violence victims. Ali has written articles about rape victims Shazia Khalid, Sonia Naz and Mukhtaran Mai. "My goal is to help all of these women and make sure that every girl/woman in my country and universally can obtain an education and has her basic human rights," says Ali. Revenue from her clothing line, So-Me Designs, is donated to her non-profit organization No More Tears, which was founded in 2007.[14] In 2011, Ali was honored with the American Heritage Award from the American Immigration Council for her work with No More Tears, The Daily Point of Light Award 15 April 2015, by President George H. W. Bush and The National Domestic Violence Month "A Proclamation" by President Barack Obama for her work with No More Tears.In 2013 Somy was the recipient of the L'Oreal Woman of Worth Award.[15]

In 2021, Ali and her non-profit organization No More Tears were featured in the Discovery+ docuseries Fight or Flight.[16]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Rachana Srivastava 'No More Tears'- An NGO to Help the Abused The Times of India (1 March 2011)
  2. ^ "Somy Ali from Miami, Florida | VoterRecords.com". voterrecords.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Revealed! What did Somy Ali learn from Salman Khan?".
  4. ^ "Somy Ali opens up on ex-beau Salman Khan, says 'it is healthier for me to not be in touch with him'". DNA India. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b Singh, Prashant (30 April 2012) Salman helps Somy Ali's charity foundation. Hindustan Times
  6. ^ Rege, Harshada. "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Somy Ali: I was always a misfit in the film industry". The Times of India.
  7. ^ "No More Tears Project | We're working every day to assist victims of domestic violence and human trafficking". Nmtproject.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Somy Ali is a One-Woman Army". 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Somy Ali :: Biography". Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. ^ "PeepingMoon Exclusive: I was sexually abused at the age of 5 and 9; was raped at 14 - Somy Ali". peepingmoon.com/. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Somy Ali: Empowering Victims of Abuse". 2 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Sallu's ex Somy Ali finally speaks up". Hindustan Times. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Journalist and Model – Official Website". Somy Ali. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  14. ^ "Somy Ali helps domestic violence victims – Robbs Celebrity OOPs Free Celebrity News". Robbscelebrityoopsfree.com. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  15. ^ Landry, Julie (15 May 2011). "Somy Ali honored for helping immigrant women – Plantation". Miami Herald. Retrieved 4 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "Somy Ali Illustrates the Horrors of Sex Trafficking and Abuse in 'Fight or Flight' (EXCLUSIVE)". 17 March 2022.
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