I never considered Salman as anything other than a brother: Shabnur

Salman Shah is one of the most iconic heroes in Dhaka’s film industry. Through his acting, style and screen presence, he won people’s hearts in a film career spanning just four years.

After making his film debut with ‘Keyamat Theke Keyamat’ in 1993, he went on to star in 27 films. Even three decades after his death, his popularity has not diminished in the slightest. Instead, Salman Shah seems to have become an even greater subject of discussion over time.

The actor died on 6 September 1996. Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Yet his adored co-star and popular on-screen partner Shabnur still finds it hard to believe that Salman is no longer alive.

She expressed these feelings in a social media post marking the 30th anniversary of Salman Shah’s death.

Shabnur wrote, “Even today, I cannot believe that you are no longer here, Salman…” Remembering Salman, she further wrote, “Even after all these years, your memory remains etched in my heart. You were the beloved prince of the screen, the dream hero loved by people. You still live on in our memories and in our love. The immense void your untimely death created in our film industry has still not been filled.”

According to Shabnur, time has passed and generations have changed, but Salman Shah’s popularity and the magic of his acting remain just as alive in people’s hearts. Her final words to her beloved co-star are, “Wherever you are, stay well, dear Salman Shah.”

The Salman-Shabnur pairing was one of the most popular on-screen duos in Dhaka’s film industry. They became so popular with audiences that at one point rumours spread that they were romantically involved. Shabnur, however, has always denied the rumours.

She has said that she always regarded Salman as a brother. Recently, Salman’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, also said that Salman Shah regarded Shabnur as a younger sister.

Shabnur still remembers her first meeting with Salman. She also recalled the memory in an interview with Prothom Alo.

According to Shabnur, “The first time I saw Salman, he was shooting with Moushumi Apu. I would see him while coming and going, but we did not talk much. At the time, I heard that a new hero named Salman Shah had entered the film industry. We were formally introduced while working on the film ‘Tumi Amar’. We became friends through our work. After our first film, ‘Tumi Amar’, was released, it became a superhit.”

Even after Salman’s death, various stories continued to circulate about his relationship with Shabnur. Shabnur is also angry about this.

She said, “It is absolutely true that I never saw Salman in any way other than as a brother. After Salman’s death, some people tried to make a business out of it by involving me in this matter. Some journalists also published various sensational stories about our relationship. I do not know what they gained by doing that. I built my career with a great deal of hard work. I built it bit by bit. Some people tried to enjoy themselves by spreading rumours.”

Shabnur still cannot forget the moment she received the news of Salman’s death. She was at home that day. Suddenly, someone called to tell her that Salman Shah had died. At first, she could not believe it.

“Suddenly, someone called and told me that Salman Shah had died. I scolded them and said, ‘What are you talking about?’ My younger sister went outside and returned after confirming the news of Salman’s death. I was completely stunned. I then went to the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) to see Salman,” Shabnur writes.