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Last two episodes of HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA…

I have been writing the remaining 9 episodes of popular 52 episodes TVM series, HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA since June. Currently I am writing episode 51. Hopefully I can wrap up the whole series next week.

HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA premiered two years back. It was running regularly every week until episode 35 (I think) when one of the actors to be intorduced in episode 36 was tangled in a bounced check crime and was arrested. It was a TVM rule to ban, for a certain period depending on the crime any material of an actor commiting a crime. Due to this, HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA was halted indefinitely and then re-ran earlier this year. All 40 episodes were shot and completed in HA. KELAI, home of it’s director ABDUL FATTHAAH.

HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA had a huge following and became one of the most popular series of the country. It’s theme song HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA is now considered a classic hit. It’s also the first series ever to adapt it’s first 40 episodes in one island without showing a single shot of another island. However. episodes 39 and 40 shows two other historical islands of HA Atoll. It’s also the first series with its first 40 episodes showing minimal phone calls. The first 40 episodes record only 2 phone call scenes. This series also gave its cast star status. Public have acclaimed the performances of it’s entire cast, most notably the flawless acting from its two co-stars AFEE and HAJJA.

FATHAAH started shooting of the remaining 12 episodes last month. As TVM has already shown episode 41, FATTAAH is on a tight schedule. I have already given him up to episode 50 and he has almost completed shooting up to episode 47.

Events turn around from episode 40 and the story moves to Male’ where ASLAM faces new differences and challenges with his fiance, LEEZA. Those differences and challenges will test their love and engagement. Will they survive? Some new characters are also introduced. ALI WAHEED who turned in great performances for 5 dramas which I directed for Atolls Ministry including a best actor win in OFFICE TELEDRAMA COMEPTITION, makes his debut in HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA. He plays a lawyer who or who may not win the custodial battle of SHIZAAN for INAA. FAZU develops an unintentional jealousy towards INA which will be revealed in the remaining episodes. Can FAZU and INA remain childhood friends forever? Doubts over who sent ALI WAHEED who plays ZAMEEL to fight the lawsuit for INA rises new heights. Who is the mysterious character who appears in episode 41 who seems to know parents of ASLAM and especially his home, HA. Kelai? Does he have an agenda? Will SAMAD marry FAZU who is same age his daughter LEEZA?

As I am 2 episodes away from completing the whole series, I am finding so much to write. Sometimes I wonder if I can cram everything in to these remaining 2 episodes. Lets just hope I can keep the characters arcs and the story flow intact. Sometimes, I feel sad to end this series. This series have been a great writing experience for me. One that I will cherish forever… 52 episodes is like more than 600 scenes and 1196 minutes. Thats 13 standard feature films. Oh my, I whispers myself.

MIA or AWOL

Have I gone missing in action? Yes, I was to this blog since my last post and until this post. However, during the time elapsed during those two posts, I was in the thick of action. I just never had the time and energy to post anything at all after I was done writing for the day. Each day I did try to post a line or two but my mind wouldn’t allow me to and would ask my body, ‘What! More writing? Give me a break!’

I was also on and off under the weather from time to time before I could resume writing after ROAD. Took me a while before I got my writing groove back.

To start off, I have good and bad news. But I will give away the bad first. My pet screenplay ROAD was shelved few weeks after handing over. I have no idea why that happened but I just hope that it gets produced soon. ROAD marks the beginning of my foray in to murder, mayhem and blood. Made me a reall killer on the loose.

The good news is that, 00:00 after several negotiations, producers, cancelled pre-productions and two rewrites was finally grabbed by DV Productions. 00:00 is currently in pre-production. It was officially launched on August 13, 2008 with the unveiling of it’s teaser poster. Key crew members have signed for the project. RAVI is set to direct with THITTHI composing music. ISHEE will serve as visual effects supervisor cum art director. DHABA is in talks to lense 00:00 and hopefully he will.

As for the cast, COPEE ISSEY and MUA have verbally agreed. And there’s more to join. Actors like KOYYA HASSAN, NIMAL, SHEELA, MANIK and FAUZIYYA to name a few are expected to sign.

00:00 unfolds in a sleepy island about a murder commited at the titular time. The movie then starts 21 hours earlier and shows who might be involved in the murder. The screenplay is not about the murder but who and what led to the murder. Its a suspense, mystery, thriller.

The tagline for 00:00 is ‘something… WILL happen.’

The link below is 00:00 on facebook.

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14526466826

Principal photography of 00:00 begins on October 10, 2008 and is scheduled to hit theaters on the first quarter of 2009. The official date will be announced, ofcourse!

What have I been doing lately? I have started writing the final 9 episodes of popular TVM series HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA. More on this in a new post.

MENDHAN retitled…

My current project, MENDHAN has been retitled. The decision was made on a trip to Villingili yesterday with visionary director BAARU SHAREE

We went there for some location scouting for my next writing project which will be helmed by SHAREE himself. More on this later. For now it’s under the wraps. But I can reveal this much, the screenplay has been already structured. Which means, I just need to do two weeks of typing. And also this screenplay’s co-written by my writing partner ZAREE who is currently studying in Malaysia and will bring few more changes to the structure before the writing starts. We did the structuring over the MSN. Thanks Mr. Bill Gates.

After the location scouting in Villingili, SHAREE and I sat down at SYMPHONIC GARDEN wiith the thought of having coffee. But we ended up having anything but coffee. He had a fresh coconut while I had a fruit punch.

Beside the topics we discussed there, I mentioned about MENDHAN. I gave him a brief summary of it. He really liked the concept. It was he who proposed on changing the title. First we decided on 12. But then I thought it had a resemblence on our next project. Yes, that has a numeric title. Then we came up with SUNGADI (zero hours) but then thought, it didn’t reflect the concept at all. Then SHAREE mentioned 00:00 as the retitle. We thought it was cool and in the plot all 6 characters decide on murdering at 00:00 hours midnight.

So MENDHAN is retitled as 00:00. It maybe numeric but its sounds cool.

MENDHAN… sometimes murder can be confusing.

Is it too soon to wander in to murder territory? Only few days back I killed 5 people mercilessly in ROAD. However, I felt like I need to continue the trend. MENDHAN is a concept I thought about long time back which deals with a timely topic. Was that a give away? The whole story revolves around a murder… fortunately this time just one but who needs to be disposded of in the eyes of 6 characters. This is part a black comedy and part a whodunit but mostly a whydunit.

The story starts from present day up to the events leading to the murder and the murder itself introducing all 6 characters in their own righteous ways planning to murder the same person at the strike of midnight, hence the title MENDHAN. The story then cuts back to 18 hours ealier showing in segments the reasons for each 6 characters to commit murder. But the twist to the story is at the end which will be shown as a separate segment thus revealing the real person who commited the murder and why. Sounds interesting or confusing? Check the tagline I have thought about. It goes as follows.

MENDHAN… sometimes murder can be confusing.

I decided to work on this project after I finished ROAD and felt inspired from the latter… to murder more people? I don’t know but this time its just one. So that’s okay, I think… or is it? I am currently working on my old notes and trying to structure the whole screenplay which is all literally done… in my head. No producer is attached to this but will open for bidding once I finish writing. This I am writing as a short with a duration of 60 to 80 minutes. Why not fill the extra 10 minutes to make it a feature? Maybe not!

end of ROAD…

I have wrapped up ROAD last night, three days before the deadline. The first draft of the screenplay was handed over to producer THITTHI this evening at FOOD GARDEN. Director RAVI and visual effects supervisor ISHEE also participated including the distributor of the movie. RAVI will have a read tonight and we will hook up tomorrow for the feedback.

At the request of the production team, I wrote an alternate ending which they will include in ROAD DVD. However, I like the original ending which is kind of dark and loops back to where it all began. Also this ending has a potential for a sequel. But I just hope they don’t decide on a sequel soon. I am done killing people in brutal fashion for now. A head count of five is too much for me to take. But surprisingly I enjoyed every moment of dispatching the mentioned five characters. Make me question myself whether I have a killer side in me… Eerie!

Can’t wait for RAVI to read the surprise twist I have constructed. Wonder if he likes it or gets scared of it… Might stir up some controversy.

The characters stay conflicted through out the entire screenplay never getting a chance to redeem themselves. Once again this is very not me. All my previous screenplays were about conflicted characters redeeming themselves at the end. And they do every time. But with ROAD its quite the opposite. I just hope the actors really understand the characters and bring them to life on screen. I have so much faith in RAVI.

Preproduction has already started on the many visual effects ROAD will offer. ISHEE is working on the dream sequence I have written which they thought was ultra cool. And their visual translantion of that scene really blows me away. I have made the screenplay challenging for the technical team as well as for the actors. It demands every ounce of their talent to come out…

Some casting have also been done. I have seen the snap of the actor who is going to play RASHA, the girl who learns that her death is fast approaching. She absolutely looks the way I envisioned her character. She has very expressive eyes. The actor portraying JUNAID, the cop who is assigned to solve the mysterious deaths happened to be… well, an ex-cop. How cool is that? So he should fit JUNAID’s shoes nicely. The producers also want already established actor SHEELA to play a crucial role. At the time of writing, I am not sure whether they have approached her. For sure, she will nail her part with ease. She has played a similar role in one of the serials I wrote few years back.

My favorite of all the scenes is the ending, not the alternate ending though. The final scene really adds up everything nicely to a rousing finale with a real BANG… I won’t give away too many with plot spoilers.

And oh, one more thing, the working tagline of the movie goes like this: ROAD… every road has a story.

Will update on ROAD later…

on the ROAD…

The working title of my new screenplay is ROAD which I am currently writing for ANTHAREES PRODUCTIONS owned by music composer NIFAAR aka THITTHI. The studio had already commissioned a screenwriter to write under a different title when I stepped in. THITTHI was concerned or I should say more worried with the delay in writing and he was not firm on the early concept of the screenplay.

While at coffee in RAANBAA with THITTHI, RAVI who is helmed to direct the project and ISHEE who is the visual effects director of the film, they discussed their version of the story with me. Sadly they never had a storyline except for 4 disjointed incidents. It was I who requested to take over the writing responsibilities since the concept demanded a unique visual style to cater their unique thinking. I just thought that I could deliver and this being a genre that I have not tackled so far, I was more than hooked. I must say that I was really tempted with saliva drooling from the corners of my mouth. Gross! And I also happened to learn that they were wishing that I would write this screenplay but was in doubts that I would reject due to my busy schedule. They couldn’t believe when I decided to halt all my current projects for them.

Next day, we had a meeting at FOOD GARDEN to construct a storyline to their fractured incidents. And we had another meeting at the same place the following day and I had noted down everything they wanted to include in the film. We agreed to keep the duration between 90 to 120 minutes.

After several researches including something that would surprise them that I included in the plot, I started the screenplay a day later and completed the first 30 minutes within 3 days. The first 30 minutes draft had 15 scenes and 20 pages. I gave them for a read since it would be better to continue writing once they commented. They were so satisfied and felt very emotional over the drama I have created and the conflicted characters I have developed. And moreover, they liked the non-linear approach I have used in presenting the story.

At the time of writing this, I have completed the first 60 minutes including few changes to the first 30 minutes based on their comments. I am expecting their comments at any moment.

Guess I haven’t mentioned what this film is about, let alone the genre this films falls in to. Since the storyline is kept under wraps, I think I can reveal the genre. This film is a supernatural horror thriller that is very suspenseful. Wonder what genre that is…

The working title ROAD will be retitled after the full screenplay is written. But I hope they would agree on ROAD since ROAD is something we can relate to either naturally or un-naturally or supernaturally. And mind you ROAD is a scary place at times… Whoops! Have I given away too much?

Genie rewritten…

Genie, the fantasy/ drama/ adventure tale about a motherless boy who befriends the titular Genie in a bottle has been updated and rewritten. I was comissioned to write it by director Abdul Fatthaah as a short film three years ago. However the script was shelved when Fatthaah quit the production company helmed to produce Genie. After three long years and few national awards later, Fatthaah has decided to bring the script to screen with his recently joined production company, Dash. Or he might also produce Genie under his own company, Red Productions.

This time, Fatthaah has envisioned of a bigger production, colorful costumes, spectacular visual effects and the movie to be a feature length with several character changes and introduction of a villian. Fattaah will co-direct with visionary director, Mohamed Shareef. He has also brought popular artist, Hassan as his production designer. Fatthaah and Shary directing together sound interesting. Both are two versatile directors with two different visual styles. Lets see how they weave a family oriented movie. I have faith in them.

Now for some insight on the screenplay changes. I have given a backstory to the boy. It shows some brief moments of him with his mother and her untimely death. I wanted to make the death scene intense but then decided to diluted since this movie is targetted for family viewing. No, needless for a hanky.

The new character introduced is the villian who also happened to be a witch of more than 800 years. Oh dear, who’s going to dig that? She’s an expert on collecting or shall I say, bottling famous mythical and unearthly characters including E.T. and the entire ALIEN and PREDATOR franchise. Also expect a firey battle sequence between her and the Genie. I just hope Fatthaah and Shary will make the visuals stunning.

Genie also casts the return of an award winning actress. Sorry, her name cannot be revealed at this point of time. Fathaah is planning on a bigger way of announcing this production. However, she will play the mother of the boy. Now who is going to play the villian? Let’s wait and see when Fatthaah finally announces the entire cast including the Genie. The latter will be played by… Grrr, I wish I could tell.

The pre-production has started and the production is scheduled to start in March. The main locations has been scouted in Ha. Kelai.

No writing…

That’s right, I am not writing these days. Why? Shhh… I’m not supposed to talk about what I am doing, but I am tempted to spill the beans. Throwing caution to the wind, I am going to spill the beans to some extent even though the beans will be spilt eventually.

I was working on a whodunit screenplay for SEEZAN when PROJECT X knocked on my door. Well It wasn’t exactly a knock on the door… my mobile rang. I was told of the nature of PROJECT X. At first I was hesitant, but few minutes later after I hang up I agreed. Yes, I did seek advice from someone whose name I will keep anonymous for now. Oh man, why the secrecy? The supense is even killing me.

Immediately I called up SEEZAN and rescheduled his screenplay for late January next year. The actual deadline for his project was end of this month. Luckily, there was no discord. He was fine with the rescheduling.

Cut back to PROJECT X, I have already finished and submitted my end of this mysterious work. But there’s more of my involvement in the final reckoning. Yes, there is a final reckoning. The date will be notified to me on a need to know basis. So I wait. That’s why I can’t free my mind and go back to SEEZAN’s script. I will be freed after December 29^th. What’s huge going to happen on that date?

To be honest, this work has really screwed up my thinking cap big time. At the end of the day, it was strenuous to my eyes and it was like eating a very bitter pill. However, am good for now but I need to keep my brain fresh for the final reckoning. PROJECT X handlers might call me anytime… even now!

NULIBUNAS… finally acquired

Here’s a quick recap on NULIBUNAS… Once upon a time, not less than seven years ago, I wrote an adapted screenplay called HIYY KEEKKURAANEE based on Hindi film, DHIL KYA KARE for now dissolved company EMA PRODUCTIONS. In reality, I wrote the screenplay for my long time friend, SHIYAZ. The project was assigned to him by EMA when their ace director failed to begin the production to an almost scene-to-scene translation of the Hindi film. I adapted my screenplay to an island to make the production easier and few other pivotal story changes were also made. TRIVIA NOTE: Two other studios also began filming their own versions on the same Hindi film and both productions were discontinued.

I finished the adaptation long before the dead line. But few days later, the project was terminated and sadly, I wasn’t paid.

Fast forward to end of the third quarter of 2006, veteran actor, DHARAA RASHEED and his Indian yaar approached me to write a 13 episode serial they were going to produce. They wanted me to write with in a week to which I declined, this time. But I mentioned them of the shelved HIYY KEEKKURAANEE screenplay. They agreed on converting it in to a serial.

I started work the very next day and finished the whole 13 episodes in less than a week. I named the serial NULIBUNAS… with hefty changes, a funny yet a powerfully dramatic back-story and a very twisted ending. Probably, I was feeling very Shayamalan-esque at the time. Maybe Hitchckokian is the right word here because NULIBUNAS… doesn’t have any supernatural elements. Sorry M. Night but you are one of my favorites.

Again, NULIBUNAS… faced the same production-getting-delayed curse. And once again, I was not paid.

Meanwhile, MOVIE PEOPLE wanted a 13 episode serial. I told them of NULIBUNAS… which was by then getting too delayed going behind the camera and pre-production work was completely ceased. I called up RASHEED to inform that I was going to make a deal with MOVIE PEOPLE. He agreed.

I handed the script to MOVIE PEOPLE. Days turned in to weeks and weeks in to months. They finally decided to… decline.

Upon hearing that MOVIE PEOPLE have rejected and I have a 13 episode serial, yes these news travel fast, actress NIUMA called up showing interest in the script. I gave her the first seven episodes for a read. Thought the curse was due to the script being an adaptation. A day later she called me and said she liked the script and had no resemblance whatsoever to the Hindi film. But… you already know what happened afterwards. Is this script really under a very bad spell? Apparently, TVM to whom NIUMA was planning to sell the production were not taking serials based on films. So there! The curse finally revealed but not lifted.

Cut back to October 2007, I was about to shelve NULIBUNAS… for good, when actress ZEENATH was interested in; yes you guessed right, a 13 episode serial. So I gave her the whole script. Unlike others before her, she first submitted the script to TVM so that they can decide on how much I have borrowed from the Hindi film. Few weeks later ZEENATH informed me that TVM has given green light. She’s also going ahead with the production. Lets hope the curse is really lifted but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Shooting NULIBUNAS… begins on 25th of this month.

AHARENGE LHA DADDYY finale…

The fifth and final episode of AHARENGE LHA DADDYY was shown last night. And it ended with a bang. Had a twisted ending to it. Unfortunately, this serial has ended when all the actors started to look comfortable and had a firm grip on their roles. Fauziyya stands out from the crowd. She was as usual at her funny best. So was Afeef as the titular character. And yes, so was the rest of the cast. JIMMY appears at the end to sum up all the events. The opening scene makes fun on HINDI influence in our society. In case you didn’t know, Neena and Fauziyya singing YEH DOSTI was my way of paying homage to my all time favorite Hindi film SHOLAY.

THUTTHU SAEED and AFEE made guest appearances as themselves. The punch line in THUTTHU SAEED’s scene is kind of scary!

Originally this was an exclusive 5 episodes serial made for TVM for the Ramadan season. But serial director FATTHAAH is already in talks of extending this show. If that happens, consider the already shown 5 episodes as pilots.

This serial has gained popularity among young and old alike. Everyone were kind of entertained… in a silly way. So was I… especially during the writing. I wouldn’t refuse to write another comedy. After all variety is the spice of life…