The on-screen chemistry of Salman Shah and Shabnur made them one of the most successful pairs of Bangladeshi cinema in the 1990s. Their close relationship, however, has also been the subject of speculation for nearly three decades.Now, Salman Shah’s mother Neela Chowdhury has spoken about the long-standing rumours, saying there was no romantic relationship between the two actors.According to her, Salman treated Shabnur like a younger sister because he did not have a biological sister of his own. He affectionately called her “Pichchi” and looked after her like an elder brother.Neela Chowdhury said Shabnur also relied on Salman for various matters, and their close bond was misunderstood by some people and sections of the media, leading to rumours about a romantic relationship.Shabnur herself has denied the rumours on several occasions. She has described Salman as a respected senior co-star and elder brother, saying the false reports caused her considerable mental distress throughout her career.She also had a good relationship with Salman’s family and his wife Samira, according to accounts surrounding their relationship.A successful on-screen pairSalman Shah acted in 27 films during his short but highly successful career. Shabnur was his co-star in 14 of them.Their journey as a screen pair began with ‘Tumi Amar’. They later appeared together in several commercially successful films, including ‘Sujon Sokhi’ and ‘Anondo Osru’.Salman’s final film released during his lifetime was ‘Shopner Prithibi’. His posthumously released film ‘Buker Vitor Agun’ came later.Old rumours resurfaceThe debate surrounding Salman Shah and Shabnur has resurfaced following the recent arrest of actor Don in connection with renewed discussions surrounding Salman Shah’s death.Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996, at the age of 24. Questions surrounding his death have continued to generate public interest nearly three decades later.Despite the passage of time, Salman Shah and Shabnur remain one of the most popular screen pairs in the history of Bangladeshi cinema.