Salem Ahamed | |
|---|---|
 Salem Ahamed | |
| Born | T. P. Salem Ahamed (1971-07-06)6 July 1971 (age 53) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
Salem Ahamed (born 6 July 1971) is an Indianfilm director,screen writer and producer. After working for a long time as a travel consultant, he joined as a creative director and script writer in a television channel. His directorial debut,Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), fetched him numerous accolades and was screened at various international film festivals. It was also chosen asIndia's official entry to be considered for nomination in theBest Foreign Film category for the84th Academy Awards. Then he made two moviesKunjananthante Kada (2013) andPathemari (2015) with Mammootty as the lead. The latter won the Best Feature Film In Malayalam award at the63rd National Film Awards. Salim's latest film isAnd the Oscar Goes To...(2019), which tells about his own experiences with the production and marketing of his first film.[citation needed]
Salim Ahamed was born on 6 July 1971 inMattannur, Kerala,[1] as the son of Ahamed Kutty and Asya Umma.[2] He graduated in Commerce from Mattannur Pazhassiraja NSS College, and obtained a professional diploma in Travel and Tourism.[1][2] Upon graduating from college, Salim dreamed of joining the film industry but found it hard to break into and ended up a travel consultant.[3] For his passion, he joined the School of Drama inThrissur, Kerala.[1] He worked as a Creative Director and Script Writer withSurya TV and then worked in films such asSaphalyam as an Assistant Director.[1] His notable works as a television director includeRasikaraja No.1, a comedy programme telecast in Surya TV.[2]
Salim is married to Mafeedha. They have three sons, Allen Zahar Ahamed, Amal Zahar Ahamed And Adam Zahar Ahamed. Salim Ahmed is now settled at Palottupalli, Mattanur.[2]
He made his feature film debut withAdaminte Makan Abu, a story he had entertained in his mind for many years.[4][5] The film portrayed the story of a poorattar (a kind of perfume) seller Abu whose only remaining wish in life is theHajj pilgrimage, which he strives hard to fulfill, and at the verge of the fulfilment, he opts out when he fears that the means is not fully legitimate. Salim himself co-produced the film, and had to spend every rupee raised from what he had saved up over the years working on scripts for television serials and assisting directors to complete the film. The film opened to critical acclaim and fetched numerous honours including fourNational Film Awards and fourKerala State Film Awards.
The film was screened at various international film festivals: 55th BFI London Film Festival,[6] MAMI Mumbai Film Festival,[7] 8th South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF),[8] 42ndInternational Film Festival of India,[9] 5th Indo-German Film Festival,[10] 17th Kolkata Film Festival,[11] 16thInternational Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK),[12] 23rd Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF),[13] and 8thDubai International Film Festival.[14]
Salim had written three basic plots during his college days. One was based in a local school in Kerala, one was a thriller, and the third was the story of Abu. He decided to filmAdaminte Makan Abu as a number of people liked the story line; he wanted his first film to have a message and to be impressive. It was reported that he had started the pre-production works of the one based in the local school,[4] as well as was planning to bring the story ofTravancore kingMarthanda Varma on big screen.[15] However, none of the projects materialised.
Salim officially announced his next project in September 2012. The project was titledKunjananthante Kada and starredMammootty in the lead role. The film started production in February 2013 and released in theatres in August 2013. Salim then directed the critically acclaimedPathemari which follows the life of a Gulf migrant from Kerala who migrated when the Kerala Gulf boom was just beginning. The film won several awards including theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam.
| Year | Title | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1001 Nunakal | Thamar K. V. | [16] |