Salman Shah and Shabnur in love? What Salman’s mother says after 30 years

The pairing of Dhallywood’s short-lived star Salman Shah and actress Shabnur remains highly popular with audiences to this day. Their on-screen chemistry attracted considerable attention, while their personal relationship also became the subject of much discussion following Salman’s death.

At one point, reports began circulating that Salman and Shabnur had been involved in a romantic relation. However, Shabnur has consistently maintained that their relationship was like that between a brother and sister.

Salman Shah’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, has now spoken about the matter. She also said that her son never had a romantic relationship with Shabnur.

Various discussions about Salman’s relationship with Shabnur have continued since his death. Shabnur has said on several occasions that Salman treated her like a younger sister.

As Salman had no biological sister of his own, he used to call her "Picchi (kid)", the actress told Prothom Alo. She also shared a close family relationship with Salman’s parents.

Recently, villainous actor Don was arrested in the Salman Shah murder case. While speaking about various matters following his arrest, Neela Chowdhury also discussed the relationship between her son Salman Shah and Shabnur.

According to her, Salman did not have a romantic relationship with Shabnur; rather, her son regarded Shabnur as his own sister.

Neela Chowdhury said, “Shabnur knew everything about Salman’s murder. However, my son did not have any romantic relationship with Shabnur. Shabnur depended on my son. He tried to help her. He did not have a sister of his own, so he regarded her as a sister. He cared for her.”

At the same time, Neela Chowdhury made several allegations concerning Shabnur. She claimed that Shabnur wanted to create the impression that she had a relationship with Salman, and that people later embellished the story surrounding their relationship.

According to Neela Chowdhury, “Salman had love for Shabnur as someone dear to him; it was not the love he had for a girlfriend. It was the kind of affection one has for someone close to them.”

Shabnur, however, has consistently given a different account of her relationship with Salman. She has said several times that she never regarded Salman as a romantic partner and instead respected him like an elder brother.

Shabnur told Prothom Alo, “It is absolutely true that I never saw Salman as anything other than a brother. After Salman’s death, some people tried to make money by involving me. Some journalists also published various sensational stories about our relationship. I do not know what they gained from doing so. I built my career with a great deal of hardship. I built it little by little. Some people tried to enjoy themselves by spreading rumours.”

Salman Shah made his film debut in 1993 with “Keyamat Theke Keyamat”. Moushumi played his leading lady in his debut film. Salman Shah then teamed up with Shabnur in Tumi Amar.

Following the film, the Salman–Shabnur pairing became immensely popular in Bangla cinema. During his acting career of just four years, Salman appeared in 27 films, with Shabnur as his leading lady in 14 of them.

The Salman–Shabnur pairing began with “Tumi Amar”. They subsequently appeared together in 14 films, including Sujon Sokhi, Bichar Hobe, Bikkhobh, Swapner Thikana, Moha Milon, Tomake Chai, Swapner Prithibi, Jibon Songsar, Chawa Theke Pawa, Prem Piyashi, Shopner Nayok and Anondo Osru. Most of their films achieved commercial success.

Speaking about the relationship between the on-screen pair, Shabnur said their friendship developed while working together.

According to her, “Salman was a very big-hearted person. He showed great respect to everyone who was older than him. He had no arrogance. He was an exceptionally good person. He was very sincere towards all his co-stars and was deeply passionate about his work. The understanding between the two of us was excellent. You could say that we could understand each other through a mere glance.”

The actress also said that she had a close friendship not only with Salman but also with his wife, Samira. According to her, Samira often stayed with them during filming.

Shabnur further said that the two families also developed a warm relationship through spending time together, eating, travelling and chatting.

Recalling her memories of working with Salman, Shabnur further said that they often enjoyed themselves and chatted during breaks from filming.

During shoots in Cox’s Bazar, they would sometimes arrange candlelit dinners by the sea at night. Members of both families, as well as co-stars and the director, would attend.

Salman Shah died in Dhaka on 6 September 1996. Even after three decades, discussions surrounding his death have not subsided. Over the years, various statements have emerged about Salman’s death, personal life and relationships with his co-stars.

Among these, speculation about a romantic relationship between Salman and Shabnur has repeatedly resurfaced. While Shabnur has consistently maintained that their relationship was like that of a brother and sister, Salman’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, has now also said that her son did not have a romantic relationship with Shabnur.