Somy was born on March 25, 1976 in Karachi, Pakistan, to an Iraqi mother and a Pakistani father. She has a younger brother, Mohammed. She studied in Convent of Jesus & Mary High School in Karachi up until the age of 7, then re-located to Florida, USA, along with her mom and brother.

She re-located to Bombay and was involved in several modeling assignments as well as appearances in 9 movies. Her successful career in Bollywood spanned from 1992 to 1999. She was leading actor Salman Khan's girlfriend until she ended the relationship.

Somy Ali pursued education seriously - she has obtained a degree on film making, psychology and journalism from schools like Nova Southeastern University, The New York Film Academy, Connecticut School of and the University of Miami.

She has produced documentaries on issues such as 'Abortion', 'Teenage Suicide', 'Domestic Violence' and 'Lives of Muslim Women'.