Mumbai, February 27 – In her latest social media post, actress Somy Ali has recounted how the late actor Om Puri was extremely sensitive towards her while filming emotionally intense and abusive scenes in the 1997 film "Chupp," considering her difficult past.
The actress highlighted that the film, a murder mystery, also explored a woman's plight facing domestic violence, and demanded heavy emotions from the actress.
"Even though this was a murder mystery combined with a woman's experience of domestic violence, which is no laughing matter, Om ji was very sensitive about my past, and I can't stress enough how much care he took of me during the abusive scenes," she wrote.
The actress added, "His way of making me feel comfortable was to make me laugh by telling me amazing jokes as soon as we heard 'cut.' I feel honored to have worked with all three of the co-stars mentioned above."
Referring to herself as fortunate to have worked with prominent figures in Hindi cinema during her prime years in Bollywood, Somy also expressed gratitude for sharing screen space with legends such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Om Puri, and Rajesh Khanna. She fondly remembered how, as a child, she had once boldly declared that she wanted to grow up and marry Rajesh Khanna. Reflecting on her journey, she said she feels honored to have worked with such icons and to have learned life lessons from them.
Sharing her memories alongside a clip from "Chupp," she wrote, "It's pointless to post a throwback without a backstory: before leaving India, I had a few things to accomplish, including working with Amit and Jeetu, whom I admired, and when I was a child, I wanted to grow up and marry Kaka, which I boldly declared to him at age 7 during a vacation to India. Sorry, Amit, no disrespect intended; I don't mean to disrespect not only my father's country, India, but the universe."
She added, "As a bonus, I got lucky with my second-to-last film, "Chupp," as I had Mr. Om Puri as my lead, Jeetu as my protector/mentor, and Avi as one of the most natural and well-mannered actors ever to play my boyfriend. I was over the moon!!! So, my ex taught me how to drive a manual car in three hours a day before the shoot at a place called Joggers Park (I'm not sure if it's still there). The white car in the movie was my personal vehicle."
The actress further wrote, "During breaks, Jeetu (the kindest and most talented actor I ever worked with) gave me tips on life and his wisdom still stays with me. Then there was Om, who was obsessed with cooking and was a very good cook. I would literally write down several recipes in Roman English (I can't read or write Hindi) and bring them home from the "Chupp" shoot each day."
She added, "Thank you, Om, because to this day, I can make the best daal, biryani, and my rotis don't like global maps because of you. They are good human beings, just like Om, and I miss them all tremendously. Thank you to each of them for teaching me a little something about the things a woman must know and understand. I owe you all a great deal for my accomplishments today. #chupp #ompuriji #jeetuji #avinashwadhawan #somyali"
