As the 29-year-old mystery surrounding film star Salman Shah’s death takes a new turn into a murder case, one familiar name has resurfaced Aziz Mohammad Bhai, the influential businessman and film producer long linked to both glamour and controversy.
Aziz is among the 11 accused in the newly reclassified case, with Salman’s former wife Samira Huq named as the prime suspect. But who really is the man behind the name that once dominated both the business and film worlds of Bangladesh?
Many have assumed the ‘Bhai’ in his name symbolizes power; a nod to his so-called godfather image, but it is, in fact, a family surname. The Mohammad Bhai family traces its roots back to Gujarat, India, migrating to then–East Pakistan after the 1947 Partition. Of Persian Baháʼí descent, the family name “Bahai” eventually transformed into “Bhai” in local pronunciation. Aziz was born in Armanitola, Old Dhaka, in 1962.
Aziz began his career in the family’s industrial ventures, later expanding into a vast empire that includes Olympic Battery, Olympic Ballpen, Olympic Bread & Biscuit, MB Pharmaceuticals, and MB Films. His business interests stretch beyond Bangladesh, with hotels and resorts in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Despite his corporate success, Aziz has long been shadowed by allegations of narcotics trade and underworld connections, with rumors of ties to fugitive Indian don Dawood Ibrahim. He is also known as a lifetime member of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce.
In the 1990s, Aziz turned to film production under the MB Films banner, producing around 50 films and wielding immense influence over the industry; from directors and stars to journalists and media owners. His company’s slogan “Alo Alo Beshi Alo” became a pop-cultural catchphrase of the time.
However, scandals followed closely. During the Ershad regime, he was reportedly arrested over a dispute involving a woman. His alleged relationships with several actresses became the stuff of Dhaka’s film gossip columns, while he was also linked to the mysterious death of a newspaper editor, later declared a “heart attack.”
The most sensational controversy emerged after Salman Shah’s death in 1997. Rumors spread that days before the tragedy, Aziz had kissed Salman’s wife Samira at a party, prompting Salman to slap him publicly. Many still speculate that this incident triggered the chain of events leading to the actor’s demise. Though interrogated twice, Aziz was released each time due to lack of evidence.
His name again surfaced in the 1999 murder of actor Sohel Chowdhury at Dhaka Club, another case that remains unresolved.
Now in his early sixties, Aziz Mohammad Bhai lives in Thailand, from where he continues to manage his business interests. His wife, Nowrin Mohammad Bhai, reportedly travels to Bangladesh regularly to oversee family operations — keeping the legacy, and the enigma, alive.
