What Salman Shah Told His Mother Before Death

On September 6, 1996, Salman Shah, the popular hero of Dhaka cinema, died. The day before, September 5, he had his last conversation with his mother. Nearly three decades have passed, but every word of that conversation still echoes in Nila Chowdhury’s ears. That day she had asked her son to go to the ancestral home in Sylhet so that he could rest a little amid the rush of work.

But Salman, extremely dedicated to work, told his mother that day, “So many people have invested in me. Rest is far away, I don’t even have time to die, Amma. Instead, you go and have a trip. Later I will take you to Singapore-Bangkok, and during a one-month holiday I will only rest.”

In an emotional voice, Nila Chowdhury raises the question—the son who said the day before that he had no time to die, how could anyone believe that he committed suicide the next morning?

The dream of that one-month trip with his mother was never fulfilled. After losing Salman, Nila Chowdhury lost herself in deep grief. Even as time passed, the pain of that memory has not lessened; rather, in her lonely moments at her London home, it has become even more intense.

The mother can no longer sleep due to the pain of her son’s last wish remaining unfulfilled. In Nila Chowdhury’s words, “After knowing all this, how can I sleep? My sleep ended that very day.”

Salman and his mother had an extremely close relationship. Salman could not resist telling his mother about all the household stories, new work, or the comings and goings of friends. Even if he did not say, his mother would understand that her son was not mentally well.

Once, seeing bite marks on Salman’s hands and back, Nila Chowdhury asked about them, and he narrated everything with childlike simplicity.

Nila Chowdhury said that even after returning home from shooting, Salman remained mentally disturbed. His former wife Samira harassed him in various ways, and he never got peace at home.

To his mother, Salman was not just a popular actor, but also a humble and sensitive person. He regularly helped needy people in the media and created work opportunities for them.

On the shooting set, from the main star to the extra artists, he never discriminated against anyone. He gave everyone equal respect. During the busiest time of his life, if he did not get time to shop, his mother would buy his clothes, because the mother and son also had a wonderful matching taste in clothing.

As a memory of Salman, Nila Chowdhury has kept with her a gold chain weighing four bhori that her son wore. In this one ornament, she seems to find her ‘Imon’.

The cry for not getting justice for her son’s untimely death and murder still haunts her today. In a tearful voice, she says, “Why did my son have to leave at such a young age? Why did they kill him? I want to see justice for my son’s murder before I die.”

Twenty-nine long years have passed since Salman’s death in 1996. Recently, after a murder case was filed over his death, the matter has come into discussion anew. On behalf of Nila Chowdhury, her brother Alomgir Kumkum filed the case as complainant against 11 people at Ramna Police Station.

Among the accused in the case are Salman’s former wife Samira Haque, villain actor Don Haque, Aziz Mohammad Bhai and many others. CID is investigating the case.

Recently, after accused Don Haque was arrested, Nila Chowdhury has one demand—the main accused and the rest should be arrested quickly, and as a mother she can see justice for her son’s murder.