Salim Ahamed

Salem Ahamed (born 6 July 1971) is an Indian film 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 as India's official entry to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. Then he made two movies Kunjananthante Kada (2013) and Pathemari (2015) with Mammootty as the lead. The latter won the Best Feature Film In Malayalam award at the 63rd National Film Awards. Salim's latest film is And the Oscar Goes To...(2019), which tells about his own experiences with the production and marketing of his first film.^{[citation needed]}

Salem Ahamed
Salem Ahamed
Born	T. P. Salem Ahamed (1971-07-06) 6 July 1971 (age 53) Mattannur, Kerala, India
Occupations	Film director screenwriter film producer
Years active	2011–present

Biography

Early life and family

Salim Ahamed was born on 6 July 1971 in Mattannur, 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 in Thrissur, Kerala.^[1] He worked as a Creative Director and Script Writer with Surya TV and then worked in films such as Saphalyam as an Assistant Director.^[1] His notable works as a television director include Rasikaraja 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]

Adaminte Makan Abu

Main article: Adaminte Makan Abu

He made his feature film debut with Adaminte Makan Abu, a story he had entertained in his mind for many years.^[4][5] The film portrayed the story of a poor attar (a kind of perfume) seller Abu whose only remaining wish in life is the Hajj 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 four National Film Awards and four Kerala 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] 42nd International Film Festival of India,^[9] 5th Indo-German Film Festival,^[10] 17th Kolkata Film Festival,^[11] 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK),^[12] 23rd Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF),^[13] and 8th Dubai International Film Festival.^[14]

Other projects

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 film Adaminte 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 of Travancore king Marthanda Varma on big screen.^[15] However, none of the projects materialised.

Salim officially announced his next project in September 2012. The project was titled Kunjananthante Kada and starred Mammootty in the lead role. The film started production in February 2013 and released in theatres in August 2013. Salim then directed the critically acclaimed Pathemari 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 the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam.

Filmography

As director

Year	Title	Cast
2011	Adaminte Makan Abu	Salim Kumar, Zarina Wahab
2013	Kunjananthante Kada	Mammootty, Nyla Usha, Balachandra Menon
2015	Pathemari	Mammootty, Jewel Mary, Sreenivasan
2019	And The Oscar Goes To...	Tovino Thomas, Anu Sithara

As producer

Year	Title	Director	Ref.
2022	1001 Nunakal	Thamar K. V.	[16]

Awards

National Film Awards

• Best Feature Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• Best Feature Film In Malayalam- Pathemari (2015)^[17]

Kerala State Film Awards^[18][19]

• Best Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• Best Screenplay – Adaminte Makan Abu

Academy Awards

• Longlisted for Best Foreign Film nomination – Adaminte Makan Abu^[20]

Asiavision Awards^[21]

• Best Outstanding Indian Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• Best Debut Director – Adaminte Makan Abu
• 2013 – Asiavision Awards – Socially Committed Movie – Kunjananthante Kada^[22]

Filmfare Awards South

• 2016 - Filmfare Award for Best Film – Malayalam for Pathemari

Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema (Golden Minbar International Film Festival)^[23][24]

• The Best Feature Film Scenario – Adaminte Makan Abu
• The Prize of the Guild of Film Critics and Film scholars of Russia – Adaminte Makan Abu

International Film Festival of India^[25]

• Special Jury Award for Best Film (Silver Peacock) – Adaminte Makan Abu

International Film Festival of Kerala^[26]

• NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• Hassankutty Award for Best Indian Debut Director – Adaminte Makan Abu

Thikkurissy Foundation Awards (2012)^[27]

• Best Film – Adaminte Makan Abu
• Best Director – Adaminte Makan Abu

Others

• Special Award at the Vellinakshatram Film Awards – Adaminte Makan Abu^[28]
• Shihab Thangal Cultural Award^[29][30]

References

1. "Director: Salim Ahamed". Kolkata Film Festival. November 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
2. "മട്ടന്നൂരിന്റെ സലിം ദേശീയ ശ്രദ്ധയില്‍". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
3. Divya Kumar. (20 June 2011). "Salim's story" Archived 25 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
4. Parvati Jayaraman (11 November 2011). "Pilgrim’s progress" Archived 13 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Mint. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
5. Minu Ittyipe. (5 December 2011). "Kodak Moment" Archived 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Outlook. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
6. Cary Rajinder Sawhney (13 October 2011). "Abu, Son of Adam". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
7. "Mumbai Film Festival Time Schedule" Archived 13 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Mumbai Film Festival. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
8. "Opening Night" Archived 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. South Asian International Film Festival. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
9. "Urumi, Adaminte Makan Abu in Goa Film Festival". Oneindia.in. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
10. Pratima Chabbi. (17 November 2011). "2 nations, 1 screen". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
11. "Films » Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, Son of Adam)" Archived 13 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Kolkata Film Festival. November 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
12. "Nine Malayalam films to be screened at IFFK". IBN Live. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
13. "Festival Flight" Archived 13 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Indian Express. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
14. "ദുബൈ രാജ്യാന്തര ചലച്ചിത്രോല്‍സവത്തില്‍ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സിനിമക്ക് അംഗീകാരം" Archived 29 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. (in Malayalam). Madhyamam. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
15. Sanjith Sidhardhan (8 November 2011). "Legends to rise again in 2012". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
16. "'1001 Nunakal' trailer promises an intriguing drama filled with emotions". The Times of India. 9 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
17. "Mammootty starrer Pathemari won the Best Malayalam Film Award at the 63rd National Film Awards". Behindwoods. 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
18. "Kerala State Film Awards 2010 Declaration" (PDF) (in Malayalam). Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. 22 May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
19. "Adaminte Makan Abu adjudged best film". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
20. "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". Oscars.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
21. "Asiavision Movie Awards 2011 – Winners". Asiavisionawards.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
22. "Mammotty, Kavya Madhavan bag Asiavision awards - Entertainment - Emirates24|7". 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
23. Priya Sreekumar. (15 September 2012). "Salim Ahmed bags two awards at international fest" Archived 15 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
24. "The winners of the Eighth Kazan International Muslim Film Festival" Archived 4 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
25. T. Ramavarman. (3 December 2011). "Special Jury Award for Adaminte Makan Abu at IFFI". Times of India. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
26. • "16th IFFK Awards". International Film Festival of Kerala. December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
27. Press Trust of India (7 January 2012). "'Aadminte Makan Abu chosen best film by Thikkurissy foundation". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
28. "പ്രാഞ്ചിയേട്ടന് മൂന്ന് അവാർഡ്". Kaumudi Plus (in Malayalam). 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
29. "Shihab Thangal Cultural Award For Salem Ahmed". Yentha.com. 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
30. "Salem Ahamed bags award". Kerala Kaumudi. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2012.

External links

• Salim Ahamed at IMDb