Dino Shafeek Biography

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| birth_place = Dacca (now Dhaka), East Bengal (now Bangladesh), British India | death_date = | death_place = London, England | death_cause = Heart attack | body_discovered = | resting_place = | residence = | nationality = Bangladeshi | citizenship = British | other_names = Dino Shaffer | ethnicity = Bihari/Bengali | education = Bachelor of Arts | alma_mater = Dacca University
Guildhall School of Music and Drama | occupation = Actor | yearsactive = 1967-1983 | employer = | organization = | agent = | known_for = Chai Wallah Muhammed in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-1981),
Ali Nadim in Mind Your Language (1977-1979) | notable_works = | style = Comedy | home_town = | salary = | net_worth = | height = | weight = | television = | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = Islam | denomination = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | callsign = | awards = | module = | website = | footnotes = }}

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

Shafeek was born in Dacca (now Dhaka), East Bengal, British India (now Bangladesh) . He came from a poor family, though little else is known of his early life. 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!!!." 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 world-wide 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

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

Death

Dino Shafeek suddenly died from a heart attack on 10th March 1984.

See also

• British Bangladeshi
• List of British Bangladeshis