Mohamed Rasheed (2 April 1964), professionally known as Dharaa Rasheed, is a Maldivian film actor, cinematographer, producer and director.
Early life
At the age of twelve, Rasheed along with his friends, Sodhiq and Kashima Ahmed Shakir, used to spend most of their times at his place, singing, playing table tennis and undertake Urdu classes.
[ After completing his studies at ]Majeediyya School
Majeediyya School () is the first Maldivian government school, located in Malé, Maldives. It only accepted boys until the introduction of Primary Education in 2010, which allowed girls to attend the school as well. The English medium is follo ...
, Rasheed witnessed several cameras being carried to the recently developed broadcasting company, Television Maldives
Television Maldives (TVM) is the public service broadcasting TV channel of the Maldives. It was formed on 29 March 1978.
History
The station started broadcasting on 29 March 1978 to a very limited audience, 90 television sets around the capita ...
and decided to be a cameraman.[ During the time, him, along with other friends, ]Umar Zahir
Umar Zahir (22 November 1963) is a singer from Male', Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the ...
and guitarist Abdul Rauf used to perform music at small gatherings.[ At the age of seventeen, he applied to Television Maldives to work as a cameraman but his application was rejected due to no vacancy.][ However, an year later, he was approached by Television Maldives to work with them.][
]
Career
In 1981, on their anniversary of Television Maldives, they selected few staff to develop a film, ''Natheeja'' and he was roped in to play the lead role of the film as a replacement to the staff who backed from the project at the last minute.[ Soon after the filming, Rasheed moved to F. Feeali, uncertain of how the film will be perceived by the audience. He returns to Male', after the screening of the film and was startled to witness the positive reaction from the audience.][ At the time, he was considered an "overnight superstar" by the media.][
The following year, he starred in another production from Television Maldives, ''Sazaa'', free of charge. Afterwards, he played the lead role in the film ''Emme Maleh Ekani'', ''Kandu Roadhi'' and '' Orchid – Eynaage Maa'' which was considered a pathbreaking film in local cinema.] The song "Angaidheyshey Adhuvee Ruhigen" included in the film is an all-time classic song.[
In 1987, Rasheed was featured in two films; ''Chuttee'' alongside Ismail Wajeeh and ''Haali''.] He also played a main role opposite Mariyam Rasheedha in Hussain Shihab and Hassan Najumee's drama film '' Ithubaaru'' (1987).[ Some dialogues she used in the film were considered to be the "most iconic dialogues" in the history of Maldivian cinema.] He was again cast opposite Rasheedha in Najumee's another drama film '' Ley Karuna'' (1988), released during the following year, which follows the separation of two siblings and their reunion. The film marked a breakthrough to Rasheed's career and is noted to be his first paid film.[
In 1993, he produced and starred in ]Ahmed Nimal
Ahmed Nimal is a Maldivian actor, director, editor, writer and producer.
Early life
Prior to acting in films, Nimal worked at Maldives Meteorological Service office. His interest in films and acting grew due to the influence of his colleagues inc ...
's romantic comedy film '' Udhaas'' (1993), playing the role of a wealthy businessman who marries a second woman to cover up for his infertile first wife. The film and his performance received positive reviews from critics. Rasheed picked the film as his personal "best performance" from his career.[ Soon after the release of the film, Rasheed took a break from acting citing the need to take treatment for ]psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...
.[
In 2005, he graduated with a Master diploma in Visual Communication from the Film Academy based in ]Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
, India.[ Following the hiatus, he made a comeback to screen with ]Moomin Fuad
Moomin Fuad is a Maldivians, Maldivian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter known for the critically acclaimed films ''Heylaa (film), Heylaa'' (2006), ''Happy Birthday (2009 film), Happy Birthday'' (2009) and ''Loodhifa'' (2011).
Caree ...
's suspense thriller '' Happy Birthday'' (2009) which narrates the story of a simple man who receives a call on his birthday informing that his wife and son have been kidnapped, only to be returned for a ransom. A total of five shows with little occupancy were screened at the cinema, declaring the film a commercial failure, despite the positive response from the critics. Winning five Gaumee Film Awards
The Gaumee Film Awards aka Dhivehi Film Awards are presented by National Centre for the Arts to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Maldivian film industry. The Gaumee Film Award ceremony is the oldest film event ...
and twelve Maldives Film Awards
The Maldives Film Awards are presented by Maldives Film Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Maldivian film industry. The ceremony had been sponsored by various private organizations in the past in ...
, the film was also screened at the Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
.
The following year, he starred alongside Ali Seezan and Mariyam Afeefa in Abdul Faththaah
Abdul Faththaah Abdul Gayyoom (born 6 December 1971), commonly known as Abdul Faththaah is a Maldivians, Maldivian film director, Film producer, producer, Film editing, editor, screenwriter and Choreography, choreographer. One of the most successf ...
's horror film ''Jinni
Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam.
Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
'' which was based on true stories that occurred in an island of Maldives. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics; majority of them complaining for having the "same old feeling" of prior horror flicks though the performance were noted to be satisfactory. Despite the mixed reviews, the film witnessed a positive response at the box office. This was followed by Ahmed Nimal
Ahmed Nimal is a Maldivian actor, director, editor, writer and producer.
Early life
Prior to acting in films, Nimal worked at Maldives Meteorological Service office. His interest in films and acting grew due to the influence of his colleagues inc ...
's horror film '' Zalzalaa En'buri Aun'' (2010) starred oppsoted Yoosuf Shafeeu
Yoosuf Shafeeu also known as Eupe (20 October 1975) is a Maldivian film actor, director, producer, writer and editor. Regarded as one of the most successful figures in Maldivian cinema, Shafeeu is the recipient numerous accolades, including eigh ...
, Sheela Najeeb
Sheela Najeeb (born 7 September 1974) is a Maldivian film actress. She has established a career in Maldivian Film Industry and is the recipient of several awards, including one Gaumee Film Awards and two Maldivian Film Awards. She made her screen ...
and Mohamed Manik
Mohamed Manik (15 October 1969) is a Maldivian film actor, director and makeup artist.
Career 2002–10: Critical acclaim and breakthrough
Manik rose to fame and prominence in the television industry and was applauded for his performance in a dua ...
. It was a spin-off to Aslam Rasheed's horror classic film '' Zalzalaa'' (2000) starring, Ibrahim Wisan
Ibrahim Wisan (born 27 February 1977), nicknamed as Kandi, is a Maldivian cinematographer, actor, and director.
Career
In 1996, Wisan starred in Mohamed Rasheed's ''Hifehettumeh Neiy Karuna'' opposite Niuma Mohamed, Abdul Raheem and Arifa Ibrahi ...
, Ali Shameel
Ali Shameel is a Maldivian film actor and director.
Career
In 1986, Shameel took part in a stage-play titled CDS-6, alongside Kashima Shakir, Mohamed Rasheed and Chilhiya Moosa Manik which was appreciated among the audience and he continues to ...
and Niuma Mohamed.[ The film revolves around a ]mariage blanc
Mariage blanc (from the French, literally "white marriage") is a marriage that is without consummation. The persons may have married for a variety of reasons, for example, a marriage of convenience is usually entered into in order to aid or resc ...
, a murder of husband by his wife with secret lover and avenging of his death from everyone involved in the crime.[ He played the role of Latheef, a police inspector who investigates the mysterious murders.][ The film received mixed response from critics and it did average business at box office.][
In 2011, he played the role of Mohamed Jaleel, a wealthy man who is married to a religious woman and a gluttonous young woman, in the ]Moomin Fuad
Moomin Fuad is a Maldivians, Maldivian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter known for the critically acclaimed films ''Heylaa (film), Heylaa'' (2006), ''Happy Birthday (2009 film), Happy Birthday'' (2009) and ''Loodhifa'' (2011).
Caree ...
-directed crime tragedy drama '' Loodhifa''. Featuring an ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to the po ...
, the film deals with several social issues in the society told from different perspectives of the characters. Made on a budget of MVR 600,000, the film was declared a commercial failure though it received wide critical acclaim, praising the performance of cast and the film's "realism" in its language, characters and their attitude.[
In 2014, he starred opposite ]Yoosuf Shafeeu
Yoosuf Shafeeu also known as Eupe (20 October 1975) is a Maldivian film actor, director, producer, writer and editor. Regarded as one of the most successful figures in Maldivian cinema, Shafeeu is the recipient numerous accolades, including eigh ...
and Fathimath Azifa
Fathimath Azifa (born 28 October 1988) is a Maldivian film actress. She has established a career in Maldivian films and is the recipient of several awards, including a Gaumee Film Award.
Career 2010–16: Debut and breakthrough
Azifa made her c ...
in the suspense thriller film '' 24 Gadi Iru'' (2014) which was co-directed by him and Shafeeu. The film focuses on a romantic relationship between a girl diagnosed with mental illness and her psychiatrist. Production of the film began in 2010, though it was theatrically released four years later. Abdul Faththaah
Abdul Faththaah Abdul Gayyoom (born 6 December 1971), commonly known as Abdul Faththaah is a Maldivians, Maldivian film director, Film producer, producer, Film editing, editor, screenwriter and Choreography, choreographer. One of the most successf ...
's romantic drama ''Hahdhu
''Hahdhu'' () is a 2017 Maldivian romantic film directed by Abdul Faththaah. Produced by Abdul Faththaah and Niuma Mohamed under Red Production, the film stars Mariyam Azza, Ahmed Shiban and Aminath Rishfa in pivotal roles. The film was releas ...
'' was his next film release which touches upon controversial issues in the Maldives including the depiction of flogging
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed ...
and also shines a light on mental health issues such as suicide. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics though it emerged as one of the highest grossing Maldivian films of the year.
Filmography
Feature film
Television
Other work
Accolades
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasheed, Mohamed
Living people
Male actors from Malé
21st-century Maldivian male actors
Maldivian male film actors
1964 births