Dino Shafeek
Dino Shafeek | |
---|---|
Shafeek as Ali Nadim in Mind Your Language. | |
Born |
Gholam D. Shafeek 21 March 1930 Dacca (now Dhaka), East Bengal (now Bangladesh), British India |
Died |
10 March 1984 53) London, England | (aged
Cause of death | Heart attack |
Nationality | Bangladeshi |
Other names | Dino Shaffer |
Citizenship | British |
Education | Bachelor of Arts |
Alma mater |
Dacca University Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1967–1983 |
Known for |
Chai Wallah Muhammed in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-1981), Ali Nadim in Mind Your Language (1977-1979) |
Style | Comedy |
Dino Shafeek (born Gholam D. Shafeek, 21 March 1930 – 10 March 1984) was a Bangladeshi actor and comedian based in the United Kingdom and the star or co-star of several popular English TV comedies during the 1970s and early 1980s. He is best remembered for playing the part of Chai Wallah Muhammed in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum as well as the role of Ali Nadim in ITV sitcom Mind Your Language.
Early life
Mohiuddin Jahangir later changed is name to Golam D Shafeek was born in Dacca (now Dhaka), East Bengal, British India (now Bangladesh) . He came from a very well known family of Dhaka. His father (Golam Meraj Uddin) was a Sugar Technologist. Members of his family are still living in the house in Old Dhaka where he embarked from for his journey to England in the year 1958. He went on to matriculate from a high school in Dhaka and then attended Dacca University where he gained a Bachelor of Arts. During this time, Shafeek became very active in amateur theater in Dhaka. In the 1950s, he came to England and enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Career
Due to his inexperience Shafeek struggled to find fulfilling acting roles after graduating from Guildhall School. He was largely confined to playing minor supporting parts such as immigrants, taxi drivers, tourists or customs officials. His first film role was as ‘Akbar’ in the film The Long Duel (1967), starring Yul Brynner.
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
In the series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army and set in World War II British India, Shafeek plays "Chaiwallah Muhammad." The series aired on the BBC from 1974–1981 and starred Windsor Davies as the loud-mouthed staff sergeant-major of the Royal Artillery barracks in Deolali, Bombay Presidency and Michael Bates as the “Bearer to the British Concert Party” Rangi Ram.
Muhammed the chai wallah walks around the camp all day, selling tea from his urn with his catchphrase "chai garam chai (Eng. 'tea, hot tea')." We can also hear him sing the musical interruptions between the scenes, which are mostly popular World War II era hits, accompanied by a sitar. At the end of the credits he starts to sing "Land of Hope and Glory" only to be interrupted by the Sergeant-major shouting his ubiquitous "SHUTUPPP!!!."[1] He was promoted to bearer when bearer Rangi Ram left the series (Michael Bates died after Series 5). Comedy is provided by the caustic though affectionate relationship between Muhammad and his superior Rangi Ram, with Rangi frequently dispensing mild insults to him.
Mind Your Language
During the run of It Ain't Half Hot Mum he played the part of Pakistani student Ali Nadim in the popular if politically somewhat incorrect ITV/London Weekend Television sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79). Shafeek played as Ali Nadim on the show along with Barry Evans and a motley group of foreigners in a London night-school “English as a foreign language class”. Nadim was a Pakistani living in the United Kingdom. In the show, Ali Nadim was frequently seen quarreling with Ranjeet Singh (Albert Moses), a Sikh from India. Ali called Ranjeet names like “poppadum” and frequently tells him that he will “kick [him] up the Khyber” ("Khyber Pass" being truncated rhyming slang for "arse") and calls him a “damn fool.” In the early episodes this relationship is depicted as quite caustic with the characters frequently having verbal and occasionally physical arguments, but the relationship warms as the series progresses and becomes positively friendly towards in the later episodes.
Ali is a character who speaks more than he is required to on some occasions, for example in the episode “The Best Things In Life,” he unwittingly tells the sergeant that Mr Brown was trying to bribe him. He is usually the last to arrive in class and jovially enters the room with the cry “Hello everybodys” and appears to be unaware that Mr Brown finds this habit annoying. Ali Nadim also pronounces "Excuse me please" as “Squeeze me please.”
Other roles
Due to the worldwide syndication of the aforementioned sitcoms, Shafeek became a well-known character actor and comedian to both British and international audiences. He played character parts in films and TV such as Carry On Emmannuelle, Minder and The Onedin Line.
His last role was in High Road to China starring Tom Selleck.
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | Softly, Softly | Anwar | 2 episodes: The Target: Part 1: Sighted, The Target: Part 2: Point Blank |
1968 | The Jazz Age | Abas | 1 episode: The Outstation |
The Champions | Manservant | 1 episode: The Dark Island | |
1969 | The Troubleshooters | Abdhul | 1 episode: You're Not Going to Believe This, But... |
Special Branch | Majid | 1 episode: The Promised Land | |
1971 | The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder | 2nd Priest | 1 episode: Man with a Strange Tattoo |
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Ali | 1 episode: The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds | |
1974 | ...And Mother Makes Five | Gypsy | 1 episode: If I Can Help Somebody |
1976 | Centre Play | Demonstrator | 1 episode: Commonwealth Season: Trinidad - Home Sweet India |
1977 | The Onedin Line | Jaun | 1 episode: When Troubles Come |
The Fuzz | 1st Pakistani | 1 episode: Coppers Under the Sun | |
1977-1979 | Mind Your Language | Ali Nadim | 29 episodes |
1979 | Hazell | Raiji | 1 episode: Hazell Bangs the Drum |
1980 | Minder | Mini Cab Driver | 1 episode: All About Scoring, Innit? |
1974-1981 | It Ain't Half Hot Mum | Chai Wallah Muhammed | 56 episodes |
1981 | Into the Labyrinth | Suleiman | 1 episode: Shadrach |
1982 | The Stanley Baxter Hour | 1 episode: Christmas special | |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | The Long Duel | Akbar | |
1968 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Indian servant | |
1972 | Young Winston | Sikh Soldier | |
1976 | Queen Kong | Indian | |
1977 | Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers | Indian watchman | |
1978 | Carry On Emmannuelle | Immigration Officer | |
1983 | High Road to China | Satvinda | |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | A Touch of Brightness | Pidku | Royal Court Theatre, London |
1968 | In the Penal Colony | The Prisoner | Arts Laboratory, Drury Lane, London; adaptation by Steven Berkoff |
1970 | To Anchor a Cloud | Asaf Khan | King George's Theatre, London |
1971 | Captain Brassbound's Conversion | Hassan | Cambridge Theatre, London |
1977 | A Clean Break | Anwar Hassan | Ravi Shankar Hall, London |
1979 | It Ain't Half Hot Mum | Char Wallah Muhammad | Stage adaptation of TV series; regional tour commencing at Pier Theatre, Bournemouth |
1980 | Dick Whittington and His Cat | London Palladium, London | |
1981 | Dick Whittington and His Cat | London Palladium, London | |
1982 | Gandhi | Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn, London | |
It Ain't Half Hot Mum | Char Wallah Muhammad | Stage adaptation of TV series; regional tour commencing at Futurist Theatre, Scarborough | |
Dick Whittington | Sultan of Morocco | Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol | |
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Label/Cat No | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | It Ain't Half Hot Mum - Featuring the Artists from the Popular BBC-TV Series | EMI Records EMC 3074 | Appears as Chai Wallah Muhammad |
1983 | Tony Fayne's Back | Rosie Records RR 008 | Guest appearance |
Death
Dino Shafeek suddenly died from a heart attack on 10 March 1984.