On this day, exactly 28 years ago—September 6, 1996—it was also a Friday, a holiday like today. That autumn morning, the Dhaka film industry lost one of its brightest stars, Salman Shah, whose birth name was Shahid Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Imon. Born on September 19, 1971, in Zakiganj upazila, Sylhet, Salman was the eldest son of Kamar Uddin Chowdhury and Neela Chowdhury. He lived just 25 short years, from 1971 to 1996—a brief life compared to the average lifespan. Why he left this world so soon, and under such mysterious circumstances, remains unsolved to this day. The investigation continues, but the events of that fateful day are still shrouded in uncertainty, pieced together only through the accounts of family and witnesses.
At the time, Salman Shah resided in a flat at Iskaton Plaza on New Iskaton Road in Dhaka. Early that morning, around 7 a.m., his father, Kamar Uddin Chowdhury, went to visit him. However, when he arrived, the doorman refused him entry. In a BBC interview, Salman Shah’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, recounted that the guard said her husband could not go upstairs due to “some issues” and that he needed to seek permission from Salman’s wife, Samira. After some insistence, Kamar Uddin managed to get upstairs, where Samira answered the door. He asked her to wake Salman for some paperwork that needed signing, but Samira replied that Salman was still asleep. Although he asked to go to the bedroom to have it signed, Samira did not allow it, and Kamar Uddin waited in the apartment for about an hour and a half.
Later, at around 11 a.m., Neela Chowdhury received a phone call telling her to come to her son’s home immediately. Upon arriving, she found Salman lying on the bed, but something was wrong. She recalled the unsettling scene: “His head was where his feet should have been, and his feet where his head should be.” Next door, women from a relative’s parlor, connected to Samira, were rubbing mustard oil on Salman’s body. Noticing his blue toenails, Neela turned to her husband and said, “Our son is dying.”
Salman Shah was rushed to Holy Family Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The autopsy at Dhaka Medical College reported the cause as suicide, though the circumstances remain contested. His family has always believed that Salman was murdered, and his mother, Neela, claimed that when they attempted to file a murder case, the police registered it as a wrongful death instead. The police stated that if evidence of murder emerged during the investigation, the case would automatically be reclassified as homicide.
What Happened the Day Before
On Thursday, September 5, the day before his death, Salman Shah had gone to the FDC studios for the dubbing of his film ‘Prempiyasi’. His co-star, Shabnoor, was already there. While at the studio, Salman called his father and asked him to come to the FDC, bringing Samira along. When they arrived, Samira entered the sound complex and found Salman and Shabnoor joking with each other in the dubbing room.
Several publications from that time, as well as books on Salman, mention that Samira was angered by what she saw as flirtation between Salman and Shabnoor. After Salman’s father left, Samira hurriedly got into their car. Sensing the tension, Salman and director Badal Khandkar joined her in the vehicle, but Samira refused to speak to Salman. Badal Khandkar attempted to calm the situation. When they reached the FDC gate, Salman got out of the car along with Badal Khandkar, and they chatted briefly. Although Salman returned to the dubbing room, the session didn’t continue that evening.
The events of that night and the following morning continue to fuel speculation, as the mystery surrounding Salman Shah’s death lingers.
