Salim Shaheen
Salim Shahin | |
---|---|
سلیم شاهین | |
Born | Kabul, Afghanistan |
Nationality | Afghan |
Occupation | Film director, Actor, Film producer |
Known for | The Prince of Nothingwood, Debt |
Salim Shaheen is an Afghan film maker, producer and actor. He has made over 100 films and is the subject of the documentary The Prince of Nothingwood.
Career[]
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 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[]
Shaheen was born in Kabul in the 1960s.[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[]
- ^ 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". Popular Afghan actor Saleem Shaheen jailed for ‘cybercrime’ conviction. 20 January 2020.
Further reading[]
- "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.
- Afghan actors
- Director filmographies
- Afghan film directors
- Afghan film producers