Actress Somy Ali, who now runs a US based NGO called No More tears and works tirelessly to help aid victims of domestic violence and rape, says that Bollywood has completely changed than what it was when she began her career. She says that films today are more realistic.
“It’s like night and day and all this is thanks to the progression of technology, intellectual mindsets, and of course, social media. The scripts are unbelievably true to life unlike the 90’s and the material is far more substantive in comparison. A film like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna wouldn’t have worked in the 90’s, but that happens to be one of my favourite films as it is so true to life. Or even a film like Drishyam is something that girls deal with universally on a daily basis and it’s not a made up story. My NGO has rescued girls trafficked for the sole purpose of being blackmailed by their being recorded in inappropriate ways and then threatened to publish those videos. They are so terrified that they will do anything to make sure those videos don’t get published. A great deal has changed since I was there and all for the better. Additionally, the cinematography, direction, scripts, and even actors are better with the exception of those who were always perfect like, Kajol. Shah Rukh, Tabu, Aamir, Rani, and many others,” she says.
Talking about days when she just began, she says, “Well, I recall doing three shifts a day and working on three different movies in one day and each film took over a year to complete. Nowadays, all that is history. The Hindi film industry has adapted more of a western style of not just filmmaking, but also, the amount of time it takes them to complete a film. All changes are pure progression for the better and there is a vast difference once again a positive difference.”