Mumbai, 25 May 2023 (UTN). Now is the best time to be an artist. The number of mediums has increased in showbiz, so has the opportunities for those working here, including the brains and hands behind the screen. If one doesn’t take up the opportunity coming there, there are 100 people who are there to take up that opportunity. Someone’s loss is always someone’s gain. Somy Ali, who started as an actor before turning into a humanitarian, is happy to take up good characters.
Along with running her US based NGO, No More Tears, she wants to do more. “Well, I am now ready to take on acting given that I know the craft after going to two American acting schools. But life is funny in that way and my Allah likes to joke around with me because now that I have the confidence, I do not see people trying to break down my door in wanting to cast me. Obviously the issue is that I reside in the U.S., but I am confident something will happen as I have put my want out in the universe and.
I strongly believe in the art of manifestation,” she says. About the kind of opportunity she is seeking, Somy adds, “Well, I am not unschooled anymore, thus it would have to be a meaningful role. I wish someone would contemplate doing a film on one of my favourite writers, Arundhati Roy’s books. Anything with substance would definitely be interesting and true to life. And most importantly, a film on the caste system which surprisingly still prevails in South Asia. I would love to see a film based on a true story of the life of a Dalit.
People need to be educated on this subject and it literally makes me want to regurgitate knowing that a caste system still exists and one is treated brutally based on their skin colour or religion in 2023. It’s sickening to no end.” Somy would like to play a victim of domestic violence and answer the age old victim blaming question—Why didn’t she just leave?. “I do want more films addressing child abuse be it physical or sexual, human trafficking, rape, issues our LGBTQ brothers and sisters have to face and definitely domestic violence,” she says. For betterment of her craft.
She went through a few acting schools in the U.S., plus she now watches movies from a very different set of eyes. “And that includes from the lighting of a scene to the location, the attire of the character, the walk, and the minutest details my favourite actor added to their recipe of a fulfilling performance,” she shares. Talking about a film/webseries/TV show that she has seen many times and consider as her reference textbook, Somy replies with a list of names. “That’s a tough one, of course Scar Face, A StreetCar Named Desire, The Hours, and in our Hindi films, Arth, Mandi, Pink, Piku,Thappad, and anything with Meryl Streep is in itself an acting institution.
As Deepika [Padukone], Kajol [Devgn], Tabu, Rani [Mukerji], Taapsee [Pannu], Aamir [Khan], and Shah Rukh [Khan] are when it comes to our Hindi cinema. A Hindi film I have watched many times would have to be Piku, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Lunch Box. Irrfan Khan was one of the finest actors I have ever seen and his death is a huge loss to not just the acting institution but, as well as his loved ones. As for when I was a child growing up it was no one, but Rekha, a real Goddess. To date her beauty is hard to put into words. Then our Amitabh [Bacchan] ji, Rajesh [Khanna] ji, and the most amazing and natural actors would have to be Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) ji,” she adds.
Mumbai-Reporter, ( Hitesh Jain ).
