Mahdi Ahmed

episode 19 of HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA… was shown last night. this episode turned a tad dark and heatbreaking compared to the previous episodes which was full of humor and one liners. episode 19 mostly focuses on JIMMY and HAJJA, how much their love grows and in the meantime HAJJA becomes fully pregnant.

 

things go well until HAJJA is admitted to deliver. tragedy strikes. the scenes of her delivery intercuts with JIMMY dying. the first breaker comes when HAJJA delivers a baby boy and JIMMY dies. what happens next is hard to endure as AFEE and FAUZIYYA try to give the news to HAJJA who’s unbeknownst of JIMMY’s death. her father remains speechless.

 

HAJJA gives a superb performance so does everyone else dealing with the news of death of JIMMY and accepting his death. i must admit that this serial has taken a twist in its theme. so take caution. there are more to come. but no telling… 

the audience is responding positively after watching VAA LOABI ENGEYNAMA… i haven’t heard any negative comments so far.

sunday i have submitted yet to be titled UNFPA/ NCA screenplay which i co-wrote with HILMY . am waiting for UNFPA’s comments. after that a rewrite. am hoping there will be not much to re-write.

ABDUL FATTHAAH’s eagerly awaited VAA LOABI ENGEYNAMA… was released last night after a small function where principal cast, producer and director appeared on the stage, each carrying a red rose. MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ARTS cut the ribbon. He was presented with a bouquet though. Later all the roses but the bouquet were thrown at the cheering audience. Most tried to claim the rose thrown by superstar YOOSUF SHAFEEU. But whoever got that rose isn’t going to get married soon… it was a film releasing function, not a wedding for crying out loud. Maybe the bouquet would have worked.

Anyways, the first half of the film before the intermission went smoothly. The audience responding to most of the jokes delivered. yeah, it had some funny lines. But the path I was hoping the audience would respond most went unnoticed. The first half kick-started slowly, but the audience was jolted to the movie throughout. How did I know? Simple. They were dead silent. That’s a sign of them concentrating heavily. Or were they sleeping? Now that’s a bad sign.

However, after the intermission tragedy struck, Vaa LOABI ENGEYNAMA… also faced the dreaded opening night technical error curse majority of Dhivehi movies face. This happened probably because the entire audience in their subconscious mind had the thought that something should go wrong. And it did. The screening DVD got stuck. It was a total embarrassment…

The audience had to wait about 45 minutes before the film started running again. Surprisingly, they waited patiently despite some jeering. But it was the right decision from them that they stayed. The film ended on the same entertaining note as it began. But the last hour of the movie turned all melodramatic. A taste most of the Maldivian audience expect from a Dhivehi movie. So they had funny lines to laugh coupled with scenes that shed a tear or two from their eyes.

When end credits rolled some from the audience even cheered and clapped. They sound as if they didn’t care about the running time or technical error curses as long as they were able to watch a good movie. So overall, the audience considered this a good movie. But that will be decided how VAA LOABI ENGEYNAMA… fares at the box office. If only I would know…

dubbing of VAA LOABI ENGEYNAMA has begun 3 days ago. up to yesterday, 75% of the dubbing has been completed.

rough editing of VAALOABI ENGEYNAMA was completed at 2330 last night. as a whole the film looks good. acting is great. YOUPPE and AFEE give a brilliant performance. FAREE is absolutely surprising in her debut, as if her role could only be performed by herself. the visual style of director NIMAL nicely syncs with the theme emotional moments of the film. anyways, i could go on boasting. but there’s so much post production work to be done.

 

to celebrate the completion of editing, producer FATTHAAH gave us a dinner. along with him were editor SEMI, dop DHABA, music composer THITTHI, special guest ISMAIL MUBARIK and myself. the celebration was at LEMONGRASS.

 

 

i have collaborated with veteran writer/ director MOHAMED HILMY to write yet an untitle project for NCA/ UNFPA. this project was previously commissioned to a naivette and HILMY and i acted as consultants to guide the writer. but once the finished script demanded more visuals and film style, NCA/ UNFPA decided us to jump.

 

HILMY has already structured the second half of the screenplay. i have constructed the first have and started writing. once i finish the first half, the written part will be given for comments.

 

 

drama serial HINITHUNVELAASHEY KALAA… has hit 15 episodes. this serial is gaining popularity with each episode. the audience praise the acting chops of AFEE, HAJJA and JIMMY. the trio looks so natural in their parts.

 

HAJJA has found her match in JIMMY. both have married and puts AFEE in a difficult position. she feels lonely and everyone’s waiting for the day when she ties the knot. i know in which episode she marries, but am not gonna tell a thing. my lips are sealed.

 

 

VAALOABI ENGEYNAMA… directed by AHMED NIMAAL and produced by ABDUL FATTHAAH has hit the editing table. SCEMI’s editing gives a greater depth to the silent moment between the actors.

YOUPPE nails his part as the confused husband to two wives of two extremes. AFEE plays the quieter type while YOUPPE’s off-screen wife chews her scenes as the angry wife.

NIMAL’s direction has an infectious style.

this film hits the screen on DECEMBER 10.

i have written a 5 episode serial for TVM based on a true story of a rehabilitated drug addict. this serial titled NETHI DHIAYAS is directed by visual maestro BAARU SHAREE. this is my second writing collaboration with him, first being the 13 episode serial LOABIVAANAMA… made for TVM as well.

 

NETHI DHIAYAS is the darkest i have written so far, a tone which fits SHAREE’s visual style perfectly.

 

i have seen the 30 seconds trailer and it looks awesome!