New Delhi,March 31: Former actress and Salman Khan’s ex-girlfriend Somy Ali has revealed that she was molested when she was just five. The former actress, who made a name for herself in the early 90s, has said that in their house in Pakistan most of the women were sexually assaulted.
“I was sexually assaulted by a house-help when I was just five. When I am invited for a talk at high schools and universities in the US, I share this with the students. I believe sharing my personal experiences would encourage others to speak out and not be ashamed about being a victim,” she told Mid-Day.
As a teenager who had decided to enter the Bollywood bandwagon found it the only way to grab the attention of her crush Salman Khan. The Pakistani girl not only got a break in Bollywood, but also dated the actor for almost eight years. After their break up, the actress flew back to Florida in 2000.
But all that is in the past now. Ali now runs an NGO in the United States, helping hundreds of abused women. “I grew up amidst an atmosphere of domestic violence in Pakistan and many of my mom’s friends were victims of physical abuse as well. When I would ask my mom about the bruises on their bodies, I was always told that X aunty or Y aunty fell down the stairs. This was the standard, universal euphemism for physical abuse,” she told the newspaper.
After leaving home at the at the age of 16, Ali decided to catch up on her education after her split with Salman. She flew back to US and studies filmmaking in New York. But Somy, who is presently working on her autobiography, has kept a chapter on Salman.
“People found my life story people interesting as well as insane, especially how I went to India at the age of 16 after seeing Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). I had a dream about marrying Salman the night I saw the film. I woke up and ran around the house looking for a suitcase and told my mom how I needed to move to India to marry an actor I had dreamt of,” she said.
