- 1 week ago
Mumbai: During an exclusive interview with former Bollywood actress and human rights activist Somy Ali, where she opened up about the ongoing Govinda-Sunita Ahuja marriage debate and explained why she chose to publicly support Govinda. Having worked with the actor in the 1990s, Somy recalled her observations of Govinda and Sunita’s relationship during that time and addressed the gossip surrounding Govinda’s alleged affairs with female co-stars, including Karisma Kapoor. She also revealed how magazines and tabloids operated in the 90s, including publicity tactics involving alleged relationships. Somy further talked about her struggles as a teenager in Mumbai, moving into Salman Khan’s home and her reaction to Sangeeta Bijlani reconnecting with Salman.
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00:00Hello and welcome Somi once again and so glad to see you again and so glad to be you know
00:08doing this interview with you after a short gap I'll say. Yes it's an honor and thank you for
00:17having me. Somi but you are you know very much aware of what is happening in India and also you
00:24keep writing about it. Recently I saw a post in which you wrote about your co-actor Govinda so
00:30what yeah what prompted you to do that because whatever has been going in Govindaji and Sunita
00:38Ahuja's life actually nobody has spoken or written about it not even their children they have come out
00:46openly and they have not they haven't come out openly or they haven't said you know anything
00:52to clarify or to you know make it more you know clear for the people to understand that what
01:01actually is going on. Even you know there were questions asked by Sunita Ji recently about divorce
01:09and Rakhi Savant asked her in a phone call and she said that she withdrew the divorce petition because
01:17Govinda was planning to marry some other girl. So amid all this what is your take on this and also
01:25I
01:25want to know about the post that you wrote that thing. So let me let me go back to the
01:3290s in order to
01:33come back to this question. So Shashi Sinha was our secretary. Govinda Chichi and my secretary was Shashi Sinha.
01:44Shashi Sinha. So Chi Chi has been over at my house I used to live in Vindiyachala on Mount Mary.
01:50Zeenat and Mazarbhai were opposite me. Jackie and Aisha were next door to me to Zeenat and Mazarbhai.
01:57Chi Chi has come to my house many a time and we have sat down in my bedroom and had
02:02Dal Chawal on the floor
02:04and he is perhaps the most humble human being and the nicest and nicest actor, the most talented actor
02:16and the most nicest human being I have ever known including many others during my nine years of staying in
02:27in Mumbai in the film industry. See the thing is that I don't live in Mumbai.
02:34I'm very disconnected with what happens in Mumbai. I don't know anything about
02:40what happened with with the let's say Disha Salian or Sushant Singh Rajput. I know there was foul play.
02:49I hear things here and there but I don't like to comment on things where I don't have an education
02:54about. Now Chi Chi when I made the if you read the post and if you analyze it the post
03:02was not at all
03:05about his personal life. The post was simply as a human rights activist. I'm anti ageism. I'm anti someone
03:17who's being an ageist. I'm anti the the caste system be it Dalit, untouchables, whatever. I think that's
03:25preposterous that even in 2026 that exists. As a human rights activist I realized that Chi Chi
03:34is now getting he's getting work and he deserves to get work. Chi Chi he was he was and always
03:42will be the
03:43biggest superstar of the Hindi film industry and no one can deny that. I mean during Chote Mia and Bari
03:52Mia
03:52Amit Ji had to accommodate his dates in accordance to Chi Chi's dates. That's how big of a superstar Chi
04:00Chi
04:00was and is even today in my eyes. I have the utmost respect for Sunita. I've been to their house.
04:08I've
04:09spent time with Sunita. She's a beautiful person inside out. I have no no interest. I have no right
04:17to comment about their personal life. I don't know what's going on in their personal life. I do not
04:23want to know what's going on in their personal life because I am no one to judge and I do
04:28not have a
04:29right to comment on their personal life. But when it comes to discrimination of any sort I will put up
04:37a post and I will defend that person. Now Aryan Shahrukh's son was involved got caught up in the drug
04:45stuff. I spoke up about him. I spoke up about Sanju. How wonderful of a co-star he is. I
04:54defended Faisal.
04:55I have always always as a human rights activist taken a stand for the underdog and I will continue
05:03to do so as long as I live because that's what I do with my NGO and as a human
05:09being that's part of
05:11who I am. It's in my DNA. So I did not comment about I don't know what's going on in
05:18his personal
05:19life and I don't care to know. I just know that he got a film and uh there were some
05:26talks about
05:28ageism and I'm very anti-ageism because we all have to grow old and no matter how much we dye
05:35our
05:35hair I mean at 24 our hair starts becoming gray and you know that's that's a fact of life and
05:42we all
05:43have to go. So no matter how much Botox plastic surgery whatever you want to do we're all going
05:49to get old and but an actor's life Amitji today is 83. He is still active and acting. I mean
06:00we lost
06:02Shintuji so young and I was so close to him. I'm still looking for Rajkagan for him. I don't know
06:09if
06:09you've heard that but for the past 16 years I've been searching for Rajkagan and and um apparently
06:15I found out he's in New York. So my next step is to go to New York and actually find
06:20him because
06:21as a human rights activist I need to know if he's in under any coercion or duress and I need
06:28to make
06:28sure he's okay he's alive he's well and that's my job not only through my NGO but also as an
06:36activist.
06:36So whatever I said about Govinda you can analyze every sentence it has nothing to do about his
06:43personal life or his wife or anyone like I said I have immense respect for both of them and um
06:50that's it.
06:52So uh you found you said that uh you have nothing to do with his personal life which is absolutely
06:59right one shouldn't interfere in others personal life however you have worked with him and somebody
07:08who is you know in professional um relationship with a with a co-actor they also know quite a bit
07:16about their personal life so you know and they know personal life I'm not saying you know every small
07:23detail of what is going in their uh personal life but the basic ones like you know how is he
07:29um as a
07:30person or uh what are his interpersonal relationship with other co other co-actors or other people on the
07:38set so you think right that so how was Govinda on the set when um when you worked with him
07:44during your
07:4590. He was unbelievably supportive and and keep in mind that I also know Sunita and and the camaraderie
07:55and the compatibility that I saw with between both of them was beautiful back then so I don't I I'm
08:03very
08:03disconnected from from tabloid gossip or any of that I just realized that no one in the industry
08:11has the the the guts to speak up when anyone be it a man or a woman if a woman
08:20is a victim of domestic
08:22violence or if a woman is going through something or if a man is going through something no one in
08:28the
08:28film industry will speak up so if you read the first sentence of my post I'm I says I'm gonna
08:36chime
08:36in here because no one is going to support and because no one ever does so I'm gonna chime in
08:43here
08:43and I'm gonna give my two cents so I realized that I don't want to work in Bollywood I have
08:50been
08:50disconnected from Bollywood since 1999 um the only movies I watch are topsy pink uh piku those kind of
09:02art films and stuff and I still watch art it's one of my favorite movies in the whole world it's
09:07a
09:07beautiful movie and um of course you know uh anything that Smithaji or Shabanaji did is extraordinary
09:17so or or in a series for that matter but the point is that I I have a selective um
09:23list of films that I
09:25watch and I don't watch mainstream cinema but whatever little tidbits of news that I get I get
09:32through scrolling and I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw a reel where Chi Chi was uh
09:41addressing Sunita and saying that you know uh he was so respectful he said that uh you know you invited
09:51me
09:51to your events and to your events and your rights which is a very very big thing for him to
09:58say because
10:00it's true because it's true their rights they are their husband and their children who are their rights
10:06also their rights to their parents so I thought that I was thinking that my experiences for Chi Chi
10:24I have worked with with the legends I worked with Jitu Ji you call it I mean I have I
10:46Jitu Ji was my my father in the film industry so I've worked with all of them and and it's
10:53a miracle
10:53how that happened because that's not what why I went to India you know that and I don't need to
10:59get into
10:59that at this point in time so um I just I I will keep on defending anyone with Deepika Padukone
11:10when she
11:10started her mental health uh foundation I supported that I spoke up and and I I I supported her uh
11:18be
11:19it someone like Priyanka Chopra who's asked it was uh superbly stunning made it in Hollywood whatever
11:27I will defend and stick up for anyone who's the underdog and no one seems to care enough and speak
11:36up
11:37so I don't I don't want to work in Bollywood I don't have any stake or any um you know
11:45thing to
11:46gain from Bollywood so I'm a fearless human rights activist I don't care I don't care what you you say
11:54about me in India I don't care what you you boycott me which has been done um I don't care
12:02the friends
12:03that I grew up with as a teenager have stopped talking to me thanks to an individual who has
12:09told them to um I don't care about any of that but if the people that were good to me
12:16I will always
12:18defend them no matter what and then I didn't receive any reciprocation from from uh Sharuk or Arian or
12:27Gauri and Gauri is a wonderful person I have immense respect for her I've seen her
12:31a million times at Salman's house because she's Salman's uh sister's best friend and she's an
12:38amazing amazing lady I saw her in 2019 when she visited Miami and I spent some time with her and
12:44talked to her about no more tears and she's always treated me with the utmost respect she's very very
12:51intellectual very sophisticated very elegant so my experiences with the people that have been good
12:58will always stay that way and um I will always defend them so uh there are also so many um
13:11I will not say uh I don't know if it's rumor or it's uh truth but then people uh talk
13:18about it that in
13:1990s also not only people in fact Sunita Ahuja she has also openly spoken about it that uh you know
13:27Govinda had a lot of affairs in 90s and she has openly said that uh who hasn't
13:34about one one actor or actress who hasn't name one actor or actress who has it I have
13:42I have I have no Sunita said Suni what Sunita said that while being married to Sunita Govinda had
13:53affair with many other heroines or many uh of his co-actors female co-actors so have you
14:02you know seen of anything you know anything like that while you were working with Govinda or you or
14:10uh have you heard uh have you heard about it like Govinda been linked with his co-actors female co
14:16-actors
14:17in 90s see let me explain to you I got there when I was 15 in 1990 I turned 16
14:27in India in 1991
14:31I was a child a teenager my brain was not fully developed our brains don't develop for women until
14:38we're 25 for men 26 which is understandable but the point is that I can only comment on
14:48the experiences that I've had now I don't believe in tabloids uh you know back then it was all tabloids
14:55tabloids tabloids film fair stardust movie star and style whatever rubbish that was going on back then
15:02but I don't I if if if anyone is having an affair with anyone that's none of my business who
15:10am I to
15:11judge I I'm not a saint no one is a saint and it's not easy to be an actor or
15:20an actress's wife
15:21or husband it's not easy so you know you're you're dealing with the utmost beautiful woman or the
15:32most attractive man and you're in extreme close proximity with them and you are your your storyline
15:41of your film is that you are going to fall in love with them and that close proximity inevitably leads
15:48to some kind of fling a one night stand or a serious affair so it's a very very tough profession
15:59and I I do um you know hats off to Sunita for for for being there for Chi Chi for
16:09all these years
16:10and I I respect her immensely for doing so and um again what Chi Chi does what Amir does what
16:21whoever
16:22does I just recently also put did a post on Amir and Gauri I don't know if you saw that
16:29yes it's
16:29absolutely why what is the problem okay so he's he's happy he's getting married what is the world's
16:38problem so I will always speak up and I don't know anything about see whatever affairs you're talking
16:46about probably took place after I left I don't know uh because there are a lot of new girls that
16:54came in
16:55when I left for example Preeti Zinda was on her way in and I was on the flight going out
17:01uh Rani Mukherjee
17:03was on her way in I was on the plane going back to America so all of these people came
17:10in after me so
17:11I'm not you know I'm not up to date with who had an affair with with whom I don't know
17:18uh but again
17:19I reiterate it's none of my business no but when we were working here Govinda uh was doing a lot
17:27of
17:27work with Karishma Kapoor and uh you know in all the magazines and you know tabloids a lot was written
17:34about them and also uh when uh Sunita speaks she speaks about Govinda's affair of 90s though she has
17:42not taken anybody's name she has not named any actress but then she says that so that is one
17:54thing that she keeps repeating which means that she knew something she claimed that her husband had
18:01affair in 90s and even in one of the interview Govinda was asked also about it so obviously Govinda
18:08denied about everything but then uh I wanted to know that as a co-actor uh I'm not talking about
18:16tabloids or magazines what they wrote but as as a co-actor of Govinda uh did you see anything
18:24happening of that sort on the sets or did you come to know that yes Govinda is having an affair
18:31with
18:33Karishma or any any other co-actional actor never with Lolo never not even once did I hear a rumor
18:41about
18:41Chi Chi having an affair with Lolo not once and Salman has done a lot of movies with Lolo he's
18:49very
18:49close to Lolo they're very good friends and and I know that there was no affair between Salman and Lolo
18:58there was no affair between Chi Chi and Lolo I know that because I was right there I was in
19:04the industry
19:05so you know when you're when you're deep down in that world you hear it you hear about it and
19:13you know
19:30I was a lost person myself lost teenager in the jungle and I was still trying to figure out who
19:42I am and what am I doing here and what is going on so what was it like in 90s
19:49all the magazines and
19:52tabloids I mean from where did they get any idea I know that you were not so closely associated with
20:00you know that Karishma's friend circle but how did these tabloid work like they used to write about
20:08everyone's affair without uh without any concrete evidence or without uh you know verifying it so tell
20:17us we were told to actually pretend that we're having affairs with our co-stars to promote the movies
20:26we had pretend affairs just to promote our films that was that was the rule of of the day in
20:35in that
20:35in the film industry that you would have pretend affairs in order to promote your movies we were as
20:45actors and actresses were told that you're gonna pretend that you're having an affair with so-and-so
20:51to promote let's say aunt with Sunil Shetty I mean it was preposterous we were children we were
20:59teenagers with underdeveloped brains and we did whatever like toy soldiers we followed whatever
21:06they told us to do we we didn't have uh I didn't have someone guiding me I didn't have I
21:13was all alone
21:14and this was told by who they were told by the producers to do that in order to promote the
21:21films
21:23so it happened with you with the when you were doing aunt with Sunil Shetty yes
21:31and this is a norm this is not just a uh uh you know one uh case the one instance
21:38it happened with
21:40all all the actors and actresses it was a norm now
21:45how much is true how much is not true I don't know and honestly I didn't care because I was
21:53trying
21:53to find my standing in a place where I had zero guidance I was all alone my father had flown
22:02back
22:03because he had business to attend justifiably and I was living in Siroc hotel for five years all alone
22:11until I moved to Vindyachala on Mount Mary and got an apartment a flat so for five years I was
22:20in
22:21Siroc hotel and I had zero guidance okay so but uh uh one instance is uh the one that you
22:33just narrated
22:34that you were asked to you know pretend to be in relationship with Sunil Shetty did any other actor
22:41or actress tell you about any such other instance we talked um I'm not going to take names because the
22:49these were my friends when I was we were all teenagers and we were all you know trying to find
22:55our our our
22:56place in that industry and um yeah some of them told me that listen this is a norm that that
23:04you know
23:05just the way the underworld was a norm and it it rained over Bollywood in the 90s similarly it was
23:12a norm
23:13for actors to pretend having affairs in order to promote the movies the same way actors hid that
23:22male actors hid that they were married so in order to they they could get female fan following
23:29these are tricks of the trade right I don't know what happens now I I'm I'm not interested because my
23:37life is a complete 180 since I came back with education and with my NGO and um you know I
23:46don't
23:46know what happens now I don't really care what happens now but if someone is going to be in
23:52insulted that I know closely and I know that they're a good human being I will defend them
23:59and when I spoke up for Arian I did it solely because of Gauri if I speak up for Sanju
24:08it's because my
24:09my my experiences with Sanju or anyone that are good I will talk about them you also wrote about
24:18Aamir how was your relationship with Aamir back in 19 I uh so Stardust I don't know if you remember
24:26but Stardust used to have this big annual thing so Aamir and I shot with Rakesh Reshta who was the
24:33big
24:34deal back then and um I remember when I when Aamir walked in Rakesh Reshta made a comment and he
24:42said
24:50so Aamir made a comment listen I don't like these kind of uh uh these kind of comments about a
24:57young
24:57inspiring actor inspiring actor and um you know let's let's get to work he was extremely professional he was
25:06extremely nice to me extremely kind to me and we did our photo shoot he was very very nice and
25:14that's
25:15it that was my experience with him so if you were to tell me that Aamir is a horrible person
25:21I'm not
25:22gonna go with that because my experience with him was wonderful so similarly if every person has different
25:32experiences with the way we act in front of our mother we don't act in front of our father that
25:39way
25:39we are we can share more with our mothers similarly a girlfriend and boyfriend what happened happens
25:47behind closed doors or a husband and wife what happens behind closed doors only they know the truth
25:54and the house help and the the chauffeur the drivers and the house all the the security the guards they
26:02all know exactly what's going on outside of that no one knows anything what exactly is going on
26:10so you that's why I don't judge I don't judge had that much association with Aamir that photo
26:17shoot that's it I met him once I met him once in my life maybe and I think I met
26:23him uh again at the
26:25shoot um you know hello hi um I met Shah Rukh only once but I met his wife all the
26:32time because she was
26:33always at uh Salman's house and you know like I said she's I I absolutely adore her she's a beautiful
26:43inside outside person and I absolutely have the immense amount of respect for her as I do for
26:50Sunita right and how was it like uh meeting with Sunita like was was she there on the sets when
26:59Govinda
27:00used to shoot no I I met Sunita at her house I went to Chichi's house and I sat with
27:07her and I thought oh my
27:08god she is so nice and so unfiltered because I came from America and in America you you don't play
27:18games you you say it like it is we have this this you know ideology and philosophy here of we
27:26don't play
27:27games so if someone is calling us we pick up the phone if we're available we don't pretend and we
27:34try to
27:34be like inaccessible because we want to show we're busy we don't play these kind of games Sunita was
27:41unfiltered she was a very honest person she was a beautiful person and she was very nice to me very
27:49loving to me I absolutely loved her that was my experience again now people might have different
27:57opinions I don't care my experience with a certain individual be it Aamir Sharuk Salman Saif Ompuri Ji whoever
28:08it doesn't matter those are my experiences G2G all these people so if if I'm going to say something
28:19bad about a person it is my duty to say also what good they did for me otherwise I will
28:28be doing
28:28injustice to that individual if someone treated me poorly I also have to write or say about how they did
28:38things that were good for me because we're all gray we're not black and white no one is a saint
28:45we've all
28:46made mistakes we've all screwed up and we're going to continue doing that till our last breath that's human
28:52nature so yeah since you follow uh the news of India so closely and you know quite a bit about
29:02what is
29:03happening in uh the Hindi film industry uh so you must have also seen the interviews of Govinda and uh
29:10recently uh recently sorry you must have seen the interviews of Sunita Hoja and recently Govinda also
29:16spoke um something about the kind of language she you know keeps using and Govinda said that
29:27so how was Sunita back in 90s you know was she you know that uh did she wasn't foul mouth
29:37mouthed mouthed not at all no foul mouth not at all at least when I met her there was no
29:43foul mouth
29:44she was very honest unfiltered she was beautiful she was very kind to me very loving and there was
29:51there was nothing I there was no profanity I didn't hear one word of uh one profane word come out
29:58of her
29:58mouth oh and now uh we'll again talk about Aamir because you said that you spoke uh that you worked
30:09with Aamir for a photo shoot and Aamir was also very close friend of Salman
30:16Aamir was also very close friend of Salman and uh you must have uh I don't know if you heard
30:24because
30:24in back back in 90s there were also many um news uh uh you know floating about Aamir's affair so
30:32how
30:32was what was your experience did you get to know any such kind of in uh news or instance no
30:40I know
30:41that during when I was there Aamir was Aamir was happily married to Rina uh I believe they were
30:48together in college and uh that's all I know and they had children and um that's all I know
30:57okay so and also there is remember he married Kegan when I was already in America
31:04I had already left so a lot of changes took place when I had already moved back home
31:11you spoke about uh Sea Rock Hotel you stayed there for five years so when did you move to Salman
31:18Sapanra I want to know the timeline that you came in 1990 or 91 1990 in 1991 is when I
31:27first started
31:28shooting and my first film shoot was with Sanju in Goa uh for Dil toh Koya hai yahi pe kahi
31:35pe tu
31:36that gana with in Andolan which is one of my favorite songs and then the other favorite song
31:42is Chanse Parda Kije with Saif and myself I did a special appearance in that movie I still play that
31:48song Chanse Parda Kije I love that I love that song it's beautiful so um yeah so so yeah I
31:57was there in
31:571990 I turned 16 in 1991 I shot with Sanju the first time I ever faced the camera was with
32:04Sanju
32:05Sanju and he was so nice because I was shaking because I was like I remember when I was a
32:11kid
32:11I watched Rocky so you know I I was like oh my god and uh you know if I'm if
32:19I was like 16 or uh
32:22yeah 17 and he was like 37 and you know yeah so I was like and he took me aside
32:29he said calm down
32:30relax I have all the patience in the world listen I got yelled at I even got slapped around by
32:38my
32:38father doing Rocky so don't worry I totally understand what you're feeling and let's just
32:44have patience I have all the patience in the world and he was wonderful and and that's why I only
32:49have
32:50good things to say about him and I always wish him well I wish Aamir well I wish Chi Chi
32:58well I wish
32:59Sunita well I have no qualms if I have any qualms about anyone I I'm I I don't care I
33:08will say it
33:09because look I don't want to roll in the Bollywood film industry I have moved on I don't want to
33:17have
33:17anything to do as far as acting in the Hindi film industry OTT Netflix series I have my own Swami
33:28Ali productions house where I've been to three film schools in New York and I can write screenplays I
33:35can direct I can act I can produce I have my own production house I can make shorts I can
33:42make
33:42documentaries I can do whatever I want in America so if I I have the guts and I am not
33:51fearful of
33:52speaking my mind I don't have a filter I don't care that's why Divya Bharti and I got along like
33:59a
33:59house on fire because she and I were the same I met her during on the ambulance shoot in Bangalore
34:06she was supposed to do a song with Chi Chi I was doing a song with Sanju and the first
34:13time I met
34:13her she said she was the sweetest girl in the world
34:22so so then now uh about Sea Rock Hotel which is a landmark of Mumbai city so which year you
34:31moved
34:32from Sea Rock to uh Salman's house whoa I lived in Salman's house for two years so I would have
34:41to say
34:43towards my end I uh 1997 1998 and 1999 is when I left so it would have to be two
34:54and a half years almost three years
34:59okay so that it was like towards the end of your stage India I would say right right right right
35:07and
35:07then five years you were living only in hotel yes until I moved to an apartment in Bindiachal but you
35:15dated Salman right from 91 if if I remember right in the last interview you said yes but you moved
35:22later later to his home later to his home yes okay once things became more concrete
35:31okay so because he was still with his ex while we were dating he was still with his ex they
35:38were
35:38about to get married yeah yeah you said that last time so uh in 19 from 1991 to 1997 that
35:48is like uh
35:49you came in uh you came to India in 1990 right yes yes so where did you stay uh from
35:571990 to 91
35:59so first my father put me in a PG which is called a paying guest and I had no idea
36:05what that means
36:07and the family that my father put me in uh it was a room that you rent and they didn't
36:14allow chicken
36:15in the house they were very strict Hindu jayans and um so the the young girl who was about 19
36:2420 years
36:24old she said I know you've been sneaking chicken sandwiches in your purse and I called my dad and
36:32I said what the heck is this I cannot eat chicken sandwiches where have you put me what is this
36:40PG thing
36:41and I said I need you to move me to Siroc hotel um where I can order my chicken biryani
36:47because that's my
36:48favorite food or dal chaval uh and you know a jar and I don't want to live in a pain
36:55guest what what on earth
36:57is this so I left my father I was a brat my father accommodated me in Siroc he paid for
37:06Siroc for so
37:07many years we got a huge discount huge discount and the the staff of Siroc were my play buddies I
37:16used to
37:17play Scrabble with them I used to play Monopoly with them keep in mind I'm I'm a 16 year old
37:22kid
37:22so they were my my my family they were my friends and who was there in Mumbai for you because
37:28he said
37:29that your father left when did uh like he flew back once he put me in the PG he left
37:35then I called him
37:36and I said get me out of here then he put me in Siroc he put me in Siroc he
37:40stayed for a while he stayed
37:42in the room uh next to mine in the hotel room and um then he left he had to go
37:49attend to business which
37:51is totally justified so your father kept uh coming uh going checking up on me checking in on me all
37:59the time and um you know he fulfilled his his fatherly duties but he had to work he was a
38:06businessman and he was at the peak of his career when I was 16 years old so you know he
38:13had to earn
38:13a living a livelihood not only for for his daughter but also for you know his his wife and his
38:21his son
38:22who were residing in America at the time so you know he had to work and where was your mom
38:30at that
38:30time my mom was in America with my younger brother okay okay so uh how did this happen because you
38:39know when
38:39I uh you know hear all this so you were quite young and then even like staying even for few
38:46days alone
38:47in Mumbai in a city like Mumbai which is so big and uh struggling to get a get a role
38:54you know in film
38:55it was quite you know it was quite difficult at that time so how did you do it all alone
39:01like you were 16
39:02and you said you didn't have any proper guidance also from the industry so how did you manage how did
39:10you find a way that where do where should I go first and who should I speak to okay so
39:17for the thousandth
39:18time um when I was in America I saw a show called uh bus feed and it said
39:26uh
39:43uh
39:45uh
39:45uh
39:45because I had seen a movie of Salman, and I had also had a dream.
39:53So, after that, I went to India and got to Gotham.
39:57I told my dad that we were in town.
40:00So, we went to town and got a photo shoot with Gotham.
40:03So, Gotham gave me advice.
40:05After that, when we saw the pictures,
40:08my dad told me that his face is more than Zina Taman and Parveen Bobby.
40:14His cheekbones, his western look.
40:16He went to different agencies and went to different agencies.
40:22First, he will do modeling and then he will go to films.
40:26So, I thought that if Salman wants to go to films,
40:31this is the best idea.
40:33Because I went there with one purpose,
40:35which you know, and I will not repeat,
40:37because people will be crazy listening.
40:39One story, one story, one story,
40:41one story, one story,
40:42but I don't know how many years ago.
40:4525, 30 years ago.
40:47So, anyway.
40:49In Far Productions, when I went to the first agency,
40:53I was sitting on Salman Sophe.
40:55I did not see them.
40:56You had to say that they would have to choose the fortune of fate,
40:58whatever they are,
41:00what they were going to say,
41:01the divine force,
41:02or power of the universe,
41:04or God, whatever you want to call it.
41:06He saw me.
41:07I did not see them.
41:09He took those images from the actual girl.
41:11That was on the counter of Fire Productions.
41:14He wrote on some Ali's 816, room 1707, Siroc Hotel.
41:20Salman's phone came and said that you will see Galaxy Apartments in the next day.
41:24We will start a home production shoot and I want to take you to the opposite leading heroine.
41:31So we signed the bullet, but we went to Nepal.
41:34But first, our shooting was with Sanju.
41:38Then we went to Nepal to shoot the film.
41:42The film was 75% shot, but the distributors had this problem.
41:48It was a problem that Salman is a heartthrob.
41:50But if he is a blind person, a person, a person.
41:55So as a heartthrob, distributors didn't like this,
41:59they dropped the film.
42:01So that film will be shelved.
42:04Okay, and the reason was that he was playing a blind character in that.
42:08Exactly.
42:09So it was a Japanese film or a Chinese film.
42:14It was a film that Salman was inspired by Salman.
42:17And the main lead actor in that film is blind.
42:24But he is a martial arts.
42:26So Danny, Monish Behel, Moon Moon Sin.
42:30And Alvira, Salman's father, was assistant director of that film.
42:34So we were shooting 75% shot, and the distributors backed out.
42:40So that film was shelved.
42:42And it was a home production, you said?
42:44It was a home production.
42:47Yes, yes.
42:48Okay.
42:48So, I mean, Salim sir was producing.
42:51You mean?
42:53I was so small.
42:54I was so small.
42:55I don't know.
42:56But I knew it was a home production.
42:58Okay.
42:59And Alvira was AD at that time?
43:01Yes.
43:03So, has she worked as AD on other Salman films as well?
43:08I don't know.
43:10I don't know.
43:10Because I didn't go to Salman's set of other films in the shooting.
43:13I didn't go to Salman's other films.
43:14I didn't go to that time.
43:14I didn't go to that time.
43:16That time.
43:18Yes, yes.
43:19So, this film got shelved.
43:21And where was the shoot done for this film?
43:24Nepal?
43:25Nepal.
43:26Nepal.
43:26Kattpandu.
43:27Okay.
43:28That's quite an interesting thing.
43:30And so, which...
43:31And then after Buland, which film you worked?
43:34Okay.
43:36Buland, then Buland was finished.
43:39And then Sanju, and Andolan.
43:42I had the most maximum film that I have done with today,
43:47I have done with Mithunda.
43:50And Mithunda, I mean,
43:51I have never seen them as a person in any world.
43:54I have never seen them in that industry.
43:56I have never seen them as a mentor.
43:58He was my mentor.
43:59He was my friend.
44:01He was my friend.
44:01And he was so good.
44:02He was so good.
44:04He was so poor.
44:05He was so poor.
44:05He was so poor.
44:05I mean,
44:06I always say,
44:08Chintu Uncle,
44:09Chintu Ji,
44:10and Mithunda.
44:11He was my friend.
44:12He was always.
44:13And he was always.
44:14He was always.
44:22He was always.
44:24He was always.
44:25He was always.
44:28He was always.
44:28You know,
44:29but it also depends on who the person is.
44:32I have seen that if a person like this is my observation,
44:35and I want to know your point of view,
44:37because even you have been part of Bollywood for so long,
44:39and quite a quite big films and have acted with big stars.
44:44Right.
44:44So I want to know that,
44:46you know,
44:47I have seen that when people are at peak,
44:49you know,
44:50there are co-actors or industry people who support for them,
44:55who speak for them.
44:56But when person is not doing well,
44:59nobody comes out in his or her support.
45:02Like something happened with Kriti Sanan,
45:04and there were few people who supported her.
45:08However,
45:09when it comes to,
45:10however,
45:11when it came to Govinda,
45:12nobody spoke about him.
45:15I'm not saying that they should support or not support,
45:19but then,
45:21at least,
45:23you know,
45:24speak something that you know,
45:25you know,
45:26that you know about.
45:27Yeah.
45:28What is your opinion about this?
45:30Has industry always been like this?
45:55Right.
46:24Right.
46:26I will defend you.
46:27Because that's what human rights activists do.
46:31They are the voice for someone who is needing a voice,
46:36and no one else is speaking up for them.
46:38Now, today,
46:39I'll give you an example.
46:41Harvey Weinstein or Epstein,
46:44the victims of Harvey Weinstein and Epstein,
46:45they are all made a support group.
46:48Okay?
46:49Somi Ali,
46:51Somi Ali,
46:51in India,
46:53either one woman
46:54nor one woman,
46:56nor one woman.
46:57There is no one who is listening to Somi Ali.
47:01No one who is listening to Somi Ali.
47:02No one who is listening to Somi Ali.
47:18I want to believe that people who have been convinced
47:23that what happened to me,
47:24that happened to me,
47:25that happened to me.
47:26But unfortunately
47:28that happened to others,
47:31that happened to me,
47:34that happened to me.
47:34The biggest thing is that
47:36who happened to me,
47:40they are sitting at home for 24 hours.
47:44They are going to their birthday party.
47:46And they are going to their birthday party.
47:48You know who I am going to their birthday party?
47:51You know who I am going to their birthday party?
47:52Where is the proof of this?
47:54Well,
47:54I am a single woman
47:56who is calling her voice.
47:59And there is no one in India,
48:03either man or woman,
48:05or woman,
48:05who is sitting with me in the support system.
48:09Harvey Weinstein and Epstein
48:11are all victims in the same way.
48:14But the rest of them are all closed.
48:16You spoke about Sangeeta Bajlani,
48:19which I understood,
48:20that
48:20they are going to their birthday party.
48:24There are people who these days,
48:27you know,
48:28speak about being friends with ex.
48:31Right.
48:32And here we can see that
48:33if Sangeeta Bajlani
48:34is attending Salman Khan's birthday party,
48:38after going through so much,
48:39I mean,
48:40whatever was written,
48:42I am just...
48:42I've seen it.
48:43I've seen what she went through.
48:45Yeah.
48:46I'm a living witness of what she went through.
48:49So,
48:49I mean,
48:51I'm shocked.
48:52What's happening?
48:53Why?
48:54What did you say
48:55first,
48:56when you saw that,
48:58you know,
48:59she's attending Salman's birthday party,
49:01and she's friends with Salman once again.
49:03They, I mean,
49:04they socialize,
49:05you know,
49:06they have socialized quite a few times.
49:09And it is there in public.
49:11When I first saw it,
49:13I,
49:13I literally fell off of my bed.
49:17I couldn't believe it.
49:19That this is actually happening.
49:22Then I,
49:23I, excuse me.
49:24Then I noticed that this is a pattern
49:27with all the others as well.
49:30They're not saying a word.
49:31They're just totally zip.
49:34And they're just ignoring the fact,
49:37even a person
49:39who is larger than life
49:41who had a protection order
49:43and a FIR written
49:44against him
49:45is not saying a word.
49:48So I,
49:50again,
49:50reiterate that I am the only
49:52solo,
49:53alone,
49:54standing woman
49:55who's taking a stand.
49:57And I will never stop taking a stand about,
50:02because
50:04I want vindication.
50:08And the,
50:09this gentleman is so egotistical
50:12that I don't anticipate getting any vindication
50:15or any apology or anything.
50:18Because there's so much ego
50:21that,
50:21that is taken over him
50:24that he will never do that.
50:26And now he's got people
50:27that he has actually abused
50:29that are by his side,
50:31standing by his side,
50:33taking photos with him,
50:34hanging out with his family,
50:36hanging out at his house all the time,
50:38which is beyond baffling
50:41and bewildering to me
50:43that how is that even possible?
50:46It's beyond my logic,
50:49all rationale,
50:51comprehension.
50:52How is this happening?
50:53So when you saw Salman and Sangeeta,
50:57I mean,
50:58you were surprised.
50:59You said that you were baffled.
51:01Surprised?
51:01I,
51:02I was dumbfounded.
51:04I didn't have words.
51:06I couldn't believe it.
51:09But do you think that
51:10there is another side to it?
51:12I'm just asking you from,
51:14you know,
51:14someone else's point of view
51:16that there is another side to it
51:19that, you know,
51:20with time,
51:21everything heals
51:22and people,
51:23you know,
51:23just things let go
51:25and they forget.
51:25Is it possible?
51:26How do you,
51:27how do you forget
51:28or forgive someone
51:31that you're about to marry,
51:33you cheat on them,
51:34you beat them,
51:35you abuse them
51:37and then they're back
51:38in your life
51:39like nothing happened?
51:41I'm sorry.
51:42I will never forgive this man
51:44till my last breath,
51:46till I'm dead.
51:47I will never ever forgive this man
51:50because he is not deserving
51:53of forgiveness.
51:55He is not.
51:58People say here,
51:59patch up, Salman.
52:00What do you have to do?
52:03What do you have to do?
52:03Who do you have to do?
52:04Who do you want to do?
52:05to kill women
52:08The thing you have to do?
52:09to change,
52:10that can change,
52:12It can change.
52:13Well,
52:14I have experienced
52:14how many changes
52:14in 2020
52:14I have experienced
52:15that he changed.
52:19The time when you met him
52:21in Dubai
52:21or USA
52:22No, no, in 2020, when they called me in 2020, they told me that Ashwin Vardae had called me in
52:32Salman's speaker and they told me that don't do Salman's show, so we will give you money for your charity.
52:42So I said, what? Ashwin Vardae said, you will benefit more if you don't speak anything against him in your
52:52reality show on Discovery Plus or Amazon Prime.
52:57So we took a shoot for one year. After that, they sent a cease and desist letter to Discovery Plus.
53:03So we took a shoot from Timothy Parlato and Trump's attorney to a million dollars and hired a show for
53:09our NGOs.
53:12Now, from that NGOs, we were saving people from India from India.
53:15So you have to have your citizens, your country's citizens, who are abused, children, human trafficking, you have to ban
53:24that show.
53:25So you have to ban it. So in 2020, we talked about this.
53:31You have never changed.
53:34You have never changed.
53:35You tried to talk to him again?
53:39No, why? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
53:45This man will never change.
53:48And he wears a whole mask.
53:52There are several layers of human beings.
53:55And all these things have been made in that industry.
54:13And last when I spoke to you, you also said that you are willing to come to India.
54:17And it has been two years now, last when we chatted.
54:21So what happened?
54:22In India, I will come to India, but I will come to vacation.
54:25Because Salman has told everyone to boycott it.
54:28Don't talk about it.
54:30So my friends, Raveena, Taboo, Vivek Obroy, Sunil Shetty,
54:35and Chanky Panday, everyone doesn't talk about it.
54:38Everyone has blocked it.
54:40Because Salman has blocked it.
54:42Chanky Panday has blocked it. Vivek has blocked it.
54:45You have to stop talking about it.
54:48But how did Vivek have blocked it?
54:51Because Vivek and Salman, they don't get along.
54:54Because they are scared.
54:57These human connections are such that people work with them.
55:02They work with heroines.
55:06And their connections are in a very wrong place.
55:12So people are very afraid of him.
55:20Be it Manisha, be it anyone.
55:23Be it Raveena, Taboo, whoever.
55:25People have to have their livelihood and work in the film industry,
55:29in the Hindi film industry.
55:31And Salman controls the range of the Hindi film industry.
55:36Does he still, you know, is he still in that position?
55:40Of course.
55:43Why do you think my show was cancelled?
55:47He destroyed my NGO by cancelling my show.
55:51He hasn't changed one bit.
55:55And you were talking about his connections.
55:59Yeah, he's got connections in very, very high places.
56:04Like, what kind of connections if you can remember?
56:07Political connections.
56:09Connections with corrupt cops.
56:12Connections with corrupt people who do bad things.
56:16People are afraid of him.
56:20I'm literally, I'm afraid that I want to come for a vacation.
56:24And I'm afraid that if he ever sees me, I don't know what he'll do to me.
56:29Because I've been very vocal for the past, since 2020.
56:33I was quiet before 2020.
56:36But when he attacked my NGO.
56:39Which had nothing to do with me.
56:41Which had nothing to do with me.
56:43But if you're attacking my NGO.
56:48If you're attacking your citizens.
56:51If you're attacking your citizens.
56:53How many people we're attacking from India?
56:58So, I really wish, Swami, that you continue your good work.
57:03And you soon get a chance to come to India.
57:06And also contribute to the society.
57:09The way you are contributing and doing.
57:12And we are hoping that, you know, we see you in India very soon.
57:18I look forward to it.
57:20Thank you so much for your time.
57:21Thank you for having me on your show.
57:23I appreciate it.
57:24And I look forward to meeting you.
57:27So, if I do, try out and take a journey to India.
57:33I definitely look forward to meeting you.
57:34Last time also, I told you that.
57:36Let me know when you are coming to India.
57:38It will happen.
57:39It will happen.
57:40I promise you.
57:41All right.
57:41We have less than a minute.
57:42So, we should do an intro out.
57:45Yes.
57:46Thank you so much.
57:46Thank you so much, Swami, for talking to us.
57:49Thank you for having me.
57:50It was a pleasure.
57:51Have a wonderful day.
57:52And I'm going to go to bed now.
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