Somy Ali: No Affair Rumours Around Govinda, Karisma or Salman

When a beloved 1990s Bollywood pairing starts trending again, the line between on-screen magic and off-screen gossip tends to blur. That is exactly what is happening around Govinda and Karisma Kapoor—and this time, one of their contemporaries is offering a first-person correction.

Somy Ali, who worked with Govinda in the 1995 film Andolan, has dismissed the long-standing link-up rumours that have followed the two actors for years. Speaking to IANS, she said she never heard any talk of an affair during her time in Bollywood.

Why the old rumours are back

The conversation has resurfaced because Govinda’s wife, Sunita Ahuja, recently made claims about an alleged relationship involving the actor and his co-star Komal Rani. Those comments have pulled older stories about Govinda’s personal life—especially the speculation around his popular pairing with Karisma—back into the headlines.

In the 1990s, Govinda and Karisma were among Hindi cinema’s popular on-screen pairs. Their chemistry in multiple films kept audiences invested, and inevitably fuelled questions about whether the equation extended off screen.

What Somy Ali says she heard

Asked whether she had witnessed or heard about an affair between Govinda and Karisma, or any of his other co-stars, Somy Ali referred to the two by their familiar nicknames, Chichi and Lolo. Her reply was unambiguous.

She said she never heard such a rumour, “not even once,” and that she had been part of the industry during that period and had not come across any such talk.

• Govinda and Karisma: Somy Ali says she never heard affair rumours about them.
• Salman and Karisma: They were very good friends, but she says there was no affair.
• Her position: Personal relationships are not hers to judge.

The Salman and Karisma equation

Somy Ali also spoke about Karisma’s friendship with Salman Khan, with whom Karisma starred in several films. She described the two as very close friends and said she knew there was no affair between them.

“I know that because I was right there,” she said, adding that when you are deep inside that world, gossip tends to reach you. But she made it clear she did not pay attention to such talk, because she does not believe in judging people for their personal choices.

The bigger takeaway for fans

For a generation that grew up on Govinda and Karisma’s films, the clarification matters: screen chemistry is a performance and a craft, not evidence of a private relationship. Somy Ali’s memory is not a legal verdict, but it comes from someone who was inside the industry at the time.

Reflecting on her own early years, she called herself a “lost teenager in the jungle”—a reminder that the people at the centre of 1990s gossip were often young, working actors still figuring out their lives. The old rumours may keep resurfacing, but the people who were actually there are drawing a line.

Source: The Times of India