MUMBAI: Former Bollywood actress turned tireless humanitarian, Somy Ali, is known for being a fearless advocate for survivors of abuse through her non-profit organization No More Tears. But behind her warrior spirit lies a tender heart still tethered to a man who shaped her world with quiet strength and unwavering love—her father, Madan Shah Ali.
This Father’s Day, Somy shares a deeply personal tribute to her father, painting an emotional picture of a bond that distance, time, and geopolitics can never diminish.
“Father’s Day always floods me with memories that feel like golden film reels from a time I wish I could step back into,” Somy says. “As a little girl, I would wait by the door every single evening just to give my Daddy a big ‘kissie kissie’ the moment he came home.”
To the world, Madan Shah Ali was a respected businessman and talented film director. But to young Somy, he was simply Daddy—a figure whose arms felt like the safest place on earth and whose cologne-soaked shirt was her ultimate comfort.
“No amount of boardroom clout or cinematic brilliance could compare to the warmth of his arms,” she shares. “He taught me not through lectures, but by example—integrity, resilience, and how to work hard without ever losing your soul.”
She describes the kind of man her father is—one who never needed to raise his voice or hand to earn respect. “Watching him command respect without ever raising his voice showed me what real strength looks like,” Somy explains. “Even when we disagreed, even when life took me far from him, his belief in me was unshaken.”
Now based in the U.S. and unable to travel back to Pakistan due to circumstances beyond her control, the pain of that distance is something she carries daily. Her father, now older, remains in Pakistan—a land she may never return to. But his influence lives on in her every action.
“Every rescue at No More Tears, every survivor I hold and fight for, carries a part of his spirit,” she says. “He is the man who first taught me what it means to protect someone, to give to the poor, to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.”
Her Father’s Day message transcends borders and decades—a letter from a daughter to the man who shaped her soul. “Daddy, I still wait for you. Just like that little girl did. Even if I can’t run into your arms today, I hope my life—the one you helped shape—reaches you across oceans,” she writes. “I miss you more than words can carry. I love you beyond borders. And every ‘kissie kissie’ I gave you as a child—they still live in me.”
“Happy Father’s Day, Daddy. You are my first hero and my Daddy forever.”
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