Mahdi Ahmed

Few days back I have completed a feature length screenplay titled MARUVUMUGE KURIN… (Before Dying…) for Suja, who’s famous as Boadhigu Suja. I wrote the screenplay based on a short story written by him. This marks the fastest screenplay I have written so far. It took me a week to complete. No big deed, considering the four months that took me to structure the whole screenplay. It’s always the structuring the hardest and the writing the easiest part in writing a screenplay, in case you didn’t know.

Now the burning question would be what’s the story about? I’m afraid I have no right to give away too much on the story line. But I can say this much. It concerns two strangers, with two equally dismal pasts and one common factor. I think I have said enough. And on second  thought, don’t you think its a cool tagline for the film promotion? Two strangers, two equally dismal pasts and one common factor. Find out more when this is released. And oh, one more thing! This film will have 4 original songs. Music director Thitthi is already working on them.

The film is set to be directed by veteran director, Ahmed Nimal. More on this later.

I’m receiving all positive comments for the fourth episode of Aharenge Lha Daddyy. This has tickled everyone’s funny bones from start to finish. They find the last installment very humorous, sending up on current events that have taken place recently and also touching several timely issues prevailing in our society today.

All the actors look comfortable in their characters and most importantly they seem to fully understand their lines. Fauziyya surprisingly gives a wonderfully comic performance that she looks totally different from what she has done in her entire film career. Hassan Afeef as the titular character has perfect comic timing. Three cheers to Neena as the jilted wife. Her delivery in the opening scene is a hoot. But she could have worked a little bit more on her out of pitch singing. Hajja is funny as well especially her head-banging scene to a heavy metal song on TV. Appu and Zeenat are also funny in a romantic way. Jimmy doesn’t get to show off in this episode as he did in the previous three episodes. In this one, he has only two scenes leaving for the ladies and Afeef to take over the proceedings.

Oh my, I sound fond of this episode, don’t I? Aren’t there any weak spots in this episode? Yes there are. Luckily, they are few and far between. The pace of the episode and the humor over shadows the weaker spots. I didn’t like the shot arrangements of the office scene of Afeef where he sits by the laptop. The screen of the laptop gets revealed before Neena comments on what Afeef was viewing and the punch line gets lost.

Anyway, I hope the final episode ends with the same gusto. Let’s hope Fatthaah succeeds in translating what I written to screen successfully. If not, I am going to be hesitant at writing another comedy, ever again!

looks like i have, to some extent broke the recent writer’s block curse i was trapped in. phew! i just finished a 5 episode serial for FATTHAAH called AHARENGE LHA DADDY. this marks my my first foray in to comedy territory. the serial will be exclusively made for TVM for this season of ramadan. it’s been produced under the DASH STUDIO banner, their first producton in years after their ace director SEMI’s resignation. it’s schedule for a sunday night 2200 hrs airing.

 

the first episode was shown last sunday. didn’t recieve much feedback though except mine. my only comments were; it’s picture quality and the humor which was not played out correctly. the sarcasm in dialogs were not delivered as i envisioned. therefore the punchline was not clearly understood. i have already given all these comments to serial director, Fatthaah who will seriously consider them while shooting the remaing episodes.

 

 

yes, i have hit the longest writer’s block of my whole writing career. it’s been more than a month i first started a new project for soon to be established VILLA TV. not sure of the name they are going to call their TV station. anyway,  it’s a write-you-can serial am writing for them where i have to decide how many episodes the serial will have. if i can finish it in 3 to 5 episodes, am going to call it a mini-series. thats what i thought, a few months ago.

 

i haven’t gone beyond the first episode even though the whole concept and the structure of the serial has been laid out. i just don’t feel like continuing. everytime i sit by my laptop to write, i feel exhausted and sleepy regardless of how good i have slept the previous night. now i have jumped out of the frying pan in to fire after i have set up an ADSL package at home. now instead of writing, i play scrabble or surf. just imagine how much surfing i can do inside the world wide web. what am i suppose to do?

 

when i started delaying writing the first episode, i knew something was not right. i knew the writer’s block was creeping in. i thought the spell would break away in few days. few days gone by. infact a month has passed by but to no avail the writer’s block hasn’t moved a bit. and the spell of not wanting to write has rooted deep inside my brain and there’s something more sinister going inside my head than i first assumed.

 

is there a virus inside my thick skull? there’s a pretty good chance of a virus infection. dig this. right after the first episode was over, my laptop was infected with some virus or a hijacker, i dunno and i had to format my whole system. ever since i feel very alienated towards my laptop. maybe, just maybe that some strand of that virus must have gotten in to my brain. it must have hijacked my thinking department. oh dear! do i need a die hard cop like john mclaine to rescue my thinking department? be it him or rambo or commando or terminator, i just need help as soon as possible.

 

sometime i think i can hear a voice inside my head calling, mahdi… we have a problem!

 

 

what happened to me, even i wondered. the last entry i made to the blog was on january. so it’s like a 5 months absence. i gotta be kidding me, i just whispered to myself. so let me quickly recap the events that took place since then.

 

HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA was abrubtly put to a halt with the 30th episode i think. am not really sure which episode was last shown. was it 30th or 31st? anyway, the next episode which was to be shown the following week introduces HASSAN MANIK aka KOYYA HASSAN MANIK. but before the airing date, KOYYA was entangled in a bounced cheque episode of his own and was arrested. it seems that TVM had a policy that says something like this, if any actors are arrested, whichever program they appear will be halted. thats not the exact clause but close to what it’s trying to say. and dig this. the arrested actor’s program will then be shown only after months depending on their crime. its seems that singapore has a similar law. TVM thinks we are singaporeans. for crying out loud, singaporeans eat pork and drink beer in public…

 

THIYA LOABEEGA… which was written for 13 episodes went beyond that mark on editing table and ended with bonus 2 episodes. the whole show was a disappointment in film making wise. it was executed too cheaply. what to do… no one loves the art of film making anymore…

 

did i mentioned about CIB: VATHAN previously? that’s a short made for seezan which will be produced under his own company C-Xanal Movies. take note of the company’s name once more… gottit? CIB: VATHAN is a loose sequel to CIB: MISSION 24. the project is still on pre-production stage.

 

also i wrote a sequel for DR. ROCKY. don’t wanna talk about it cos it’s a loose rip off of LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. the production went infront of the camera but was halted for reasons i don’t know.

 

i altered a previous screenplay adaptated to a hindi movie which i wrote few years ago for a now dissolved film company. they failed to pay me for my work, so i shelved the script until this year a veteran actor wanted me to write a 13 episode as soon as possible. i told him the best i could do was alter that screenplay in to a 13 episode serial. when he gave me the green light, i turned it in to a serial called NULIBUNAS. unfortunately for me, i didn’t hear from him afterwards. finally i called him up. he said he was still unsure whether he can start production. then i told him i was going to sell the script to someone else. with his blessings (thats what he could give me other than what he agreed to pay) now i have given that script to someone else. but that script have to be approved from TVM since the plot happened to be an adaptation. jeez! TVM is so keen on these details even though they show serials shot on handycam. do i have a problem with TVM? not that i know of… i haven’t heard from this latter someone regarding this issue.

 

i co-wrote with MOHAMED HILMY the feature film AHAREN which is supported by UNFPA and presented by NCA. this film is scheduled to be released on 28 of this month. a special screening was shown on 24th. at the end of the show everyone clapped. everyone liked the whole package. everyone were impressed with the solid performances turned in by NAKKO in the lead role, ASIM and ALI WAHEED in supporting roles. most of all they cheered the visual treatment given to the screenplay by my favorite MOHAMED SHAREEF. boy, he really executes my scripts spot on. now we are going to collaborate for another movie. more on this later…

 

well i guess that’s all for the time being.

the final episode of NETHI DHIAYAS… was aired last thursday night. this 5 episode docu-drama serial recieved some very positive comments. veteran writer-director HILMY praised the feel and the style after seeing the last episode, the only episode he watched.

 

after the final episode was shown, the real person this docu-drama was based upon sent me an SMS saying that the team has done a great job and exceeded his expectations on showing the dangerous side of drug addiction in a raw, gritty style. he also mentioned that this drama has made a positive impact since he is running an anti-drug NGO. 

 

credit goes to series director SHARY for translating my screenplay in to screen with great care and visual style. the entire cast turn in outstanding performance with COPY ISSEY leading the pack.

i have started writing NULIBUNAS… a new 13 episode serial for veteran actor DHARAA RASHEED. this is infact a screenplay i have written based upon a HINDI FILM. thought i love originality. not that i don’t. what am i suppose to do when most of my clients love rip-offs. did i say rip-offs? lo and behold. this serial maybe based upon a HINDI film but it has a different re-telling and its adapted. have i told you that the serial finale has a surprise ending. there you go… i have made y’all curious now. good thing that i didnt mention the name of the HINDI FILM this serial is based on…

the fifth and the final episode of NETHIDHIAYAS… the first docu-drama from TVM will be aired on thursday night at 2300 hrs. previous 4 episodes has gained popularity despite the now infamous extreme close-up shots of the narrators mouth who is also the real person this serial is based upon.

 

previous episodes follows the protagonist from his school days, his first contact with drugs and his eventual addiction in to drugs while simultaneously showing the effect of drug use has on his life, his family and his loved ones.

 

serial director and visual maestro SHARY dramatizes the scenes in raw, gritty and dark style he is so masterful with. his use of jump cuts, extreme close-ups and hand held camera is a treat. on my map, this serial has confirmed SHARY’s status as the best visual director in the maldives. three cheers for him. no doubt the serial finale will end with his trade mark rivetted all over it.

 

actor ISMAIL RASHEED has done a remarkable job portraying a promising youngster who destroys his life completely after being exposed to drugs. ISMAIL has shown that he is one of the few actors who likes to try his acting chops on gritty material. brave effort.

 

episode 4 goes deep inside the aftermath of being exoposed to brown sugar for the first time. ISMAIL shows the pain and the suffering he goes through while putting his family and loved ones in pain and suffering in a different way… their concern over his future. its a must see for everyone.

the first docu-drama from TVM based on a true story of a drug addict was premiered on 14th December 2006. the first episode of this five part serial  has a stunning visual style created by visual maestro SHAREE. the drama intercuts between the interviews of the real person together with interviews of his closed ones and friends and dramatization of certain points of his life. it looks absolutely raw.

 

after the first episode was shown, i had an immediate comment from a close friend of mine objecting the idea of showing such stories. he also added that it only encourages young people in to drugs. he went on to say that that ignorance is always bliss. true, but do we need to stay ignorant when our society is on the brink of becoming a nation of drugs? we need to try different methods to make a lasting statement that drug is bad. give this drama a chance…

 

anyways, this serial doesn’t support use of drugs. it only wants show the dangers of using drugs. how one man destroys his life and its dire consequences on his relatives and loved ones. keep watching…

5 part docu-drama NETHIDHIAYAS… based on a true story of a drug addict will be premeired tonight at 2300 hrs on TVM. this is my second collaboration with visual maestro SHAREE. also, this serial happened to be the darkest i have written so far since the protagonist is an anti-hero.

 

i have seen the rough cuts of episodes one, two and three few days ago and i am so thrilled of SHAREE’s work. he has done a remarkable job to strengthen his postition as the most visually driven director working in dhivehi film industry today.

 

hope the audience will like this serial for a change…