Salim Shaheen
Salim Shahin | |
|---|---|
| سلیم شاهین | |
| Born | 1957 (age 66–67) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, Actor, Film producer, Cinematographer |
| Known for | The Prince of Afghanwood, Debt |
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
Salim Shaheen is an Afghan actor, producer and filmmaker. He has made over 100 films and is the subject of the documentary The Prince of Nothingwood.
Career
[edit]Salim Shaheen has made over 100 films in Afghanistan despite the Taliban forbidding the capture of images. The low-budget films are popular and tend to be action-orientated, influenced by Bollywood and kung fu film.[1] He made his first production at the age of 16.[2] Shaheen is known by the nicknames Afghanistan's Steven Spielberg and Sultan-e-cinema.[1][3] During the Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) Shaheen was a military commander and continued to make films using his soldiers as actors.[4]
In 1995, a filmset was bombed and nine of Shaheen's crew were killed.[4] His film Debt was made in 2004 and led to him becoming nationally famous.[2] French journalist Sonia Kronlund made the documentary The Prince of Nothingwood about Shaheen in 2017. This resulted in him visiting the Cannes Film Festival and Mumbai International Film Festival with the film.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Shaheen was born in 1957 on Kabul, Afghanistan.[2][4] He fell in love with Bollywood cinema when he saw Yaadon Ki Baaraat at the age of 8.[5] He is married with 14 children.[4] Between 1997 and 2004, he lived in Pakistan.[2] Shaheen was arrested for cyber crime in late 2019 as he travelled to a film festival for allegedly blackmailing a co-star. He denied the charges and was convicted to three years' imprisonment, reduced to two on appeal.[3][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Afghan director Salim Shaheen: Master of dreams – Qantara.de". Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World.
- ^ a b c d "Afghanistan's 'Sultan of Cinema'". gulfnews.com.
- ^ a b "Popular Afghan actor Saleem Shaheen jailed for 'cybercrime' conviction". The Khaama Press News Agency. 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Brady, Tara. "The man who has made 100 films in Afghanistan but can't read or write". The Irish Times.
- ^ Mayroth, Natalie (3 November 2017). "Making films from nothing". The Hindu.
- ^ "Popular Afghan actor Saleem Shaheen jailed for 'cybercrime' conviction". The World News. 20 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- "Salim Shaheen, cinéaste afghan : " Je ne sors plus, les talibans vont me punir "". Le Monde.fr (in French). 10 September 2021.
- Hamer, Ashley (4 December 2017). "Meet Salim Shaheen, Afghanistan's 'Sultan of Cinema'". The Telegraph.
- "The Prince of Nothingwood review – magical and intrepid | Documentary films | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
- Pratviel, Fiachra Gibbons (26 May 2017). "'Afghan Spielberg' goes down a storm at Cannes". DAWN.COM.