Somy Ali on meeting Charul Malik in Miami: It was the best surprise ever!

MUMBAI: Actress Somy Ali, who is based in the US where she runs her NGO called No More Tears, recently met actress Charul Malik who is seen in tv show Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai. She says that the two share a great association, and it was lovely meeting her in person for the first time.

“It was the best surprise ever! She was in the U.S. for her sister’s wedding, and I couldn’t believe she was knocking on my door. Fortunately, I was home from work. I owe Charul a great deal—not only did she cover me for a show called Talaash when she was a reporter with India TV, but she also introduced me to the most amazing PR team I could have ever imagined. I will forever be grateful to her for introducing me to my public relations consultant Prashant Golecha and his entire team, who have left no stone unturned in highlighting my work through my NGO,” she says.

She says that her mother wanted to honour this connection as well, and decided to send something for Charul. “My mom wanted to show her appreciation for helping me by sending Charul a dress as a token of gratitude. I was beyond shocked because I never thought she would visit me, especially during her sister’s wedding. I didn’t even realize she had my home address, but it turns out my mom had used it when she shipped the dress. Though we only had Wednesday evening and all of Thursday, it was amazing to take time off and reminisce about my Bollywood days with Charul. When I suggested interviewing her (since I have a master’s degree in broadcast journalism), she declined and instead offered to interview me, shedding light on my nonprofit, No More Tears,” she says.

Talking about how they spent time together, she says, “We watched old Rajesh Khanna movies, as I told her he’s my number one superstar and always will be. It was pure nostalgia for me, and I asked her a million questions about Mumbai. She even taught me how to make reels on Instagram, something I didn’t know how to do before!”

They also had quite the heart-to-heart! “When she asked me if I got married and had children, I explained that I sacrificed having a family to help countless children, whom I consider my own. They lovingly refer to me as ‘Somy mommy’. We had a blast, as she told me about all the changes in Bollywood and the geography of Mumbai. I thanked her again for coming to see me, especially since it was her sister’s wedding.”