Happy Birthday (2009 film)
Happy Birthday is a 2009 Maldivian suspense thriller film written and directed by Moomin Fuad.[1] Produced by Yoosuf Mohamed Ali under Dark Rain Entertainment, the film stars Yoosuf Shafeeu and Niuma Mohamed in pivotal roles.[2] Winning five Gaumee Film Awards and twelve Maldives Film Awards, the film was also screened at the Venice Film Festival.[3]
| Happy Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Official film poster | |
| Directed by | Moomin Fuad |
| Produced by | Mohamed Ali |
| Written by | Moomin Fuad |
| Screenplay by | Moomin Fuad |
| Starring | Yoosuf Shafeeu Niuma Mohamed |
| Music by | Shaaz Saeed Basith Saeed |
| Cinematography | Moomin Fuad |
| Edited by | Ali Shifau |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
| Country | Maldives |
| Language | Dhivehi |
The film narrates the story of a simple man who receives a call on his birthday informing that his wife and son have been kidnapped and is asked to get the ransom if he wants them back.[1] Though the film received positive reviews from critics, it was a commercial failure.[1] According to Fuad, its failure had a big impact on his career and he lost several other projects due to its financial loss.[2]
Cast
- Yoosuf Shafeeu as Asif
- Niuma Mohamed as Suza
- Mohamed Rasheed as Office Boss
- Ahmed Asim as Ahmed
- Ahmed Saeed as Hussain
- Fathimath Azifa as Fazla
- Ali Farooq as Bank Manager
- Ismail Nuweil as Akko
- Abdul Satthar as Father
- Nashmee Mohamed Saeed as Bank Girl
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Araamu" | Abdulla Hameed Fahmy | Scores of Flair | Scores of Flair | |
| 2. | "Happy Birthay" | Trio Band | Trio Band |
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. Ifraz Ali from Avas called the film a "masterpiece" of Fuad in terms of writing and direction.[4] A total of five shows with little occupancy were screened at the cinema and was crashed afterwards. Regarding its commercial failure, producer Mohamed Ali noted; "Maldivians were experiencing a wave of melodrama at the time, few to none were aware of art films".[5]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1st Maldives Film Awards | Best Film | Happy Birthday | Won | [6] |
| Best Director | Moomin Fuad | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Actor | Yoosuf Shafeeu | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Editing | Ali Shifau | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Cinematography | Moomin Fuad | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Moomin Fuad | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Art Direction | Ali Shifau, Moomin Fuad | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Child Artist | Ismail Nuwail | Nominated | [7] | ||
| Best Original Song | Moomin Fuad - "Araamu" | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Original Score | Shaaz Saeed, Abdul Basith | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Sound Editing | Ali Shifau | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Sound Mixing | Ali Shifau, Moomin Fuad | Won | [6] | ||
| Best Costume Designer | Ibrahim Ali, Aminath Hassan | Won | [6] | ||
| 2015 | 6th Gaumee Film Awards | Best Film | Happy Birthday | Won | [8] |
| Best Director | Moomin Fuad | Won | [8] | ||
| Best Actor | Yoosuf Shafeeu | Won | [8] | ||
| Best Original Song | Moomin Fuad - "Araamu" | Nominated | [9] | ||
| Best Editing | Ali Shifau | Won | [8] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Moomin Fuad | Won | [8] | ||
| Best Art Direction | Moomin Fuad, Ali Shifau, Mohamed Ali | Nominated | [9] | ||
| Best Costume Design | Ibrahim Ali, Aminath Hassan | Nominated | [9] | ||
References
- Adhushan, Ahmed (14 September 2017). "11 years anniversary for DRE; what did they achieve?". Dho (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- Adhushan, Ahmed (4 July 2011). "Fuad regrets his involvement in Happy Birthday". Haveeru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- Adhushan, Ahmed (2 September 2016). "Fuad regrets his involvement in Happy Birthay". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- Ali, Ifraz (8 November 2018). "Moomin Fuad to start the new year with big projects". Dho? (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- Hassan, Nazim (29 June 2015). "The love for cinema from Moger". Vaguthu (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- "Feature Film Nominations Announced". Maldives Film Awards (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- Haveeru Videos (26 June 2011). "Maldives Film Awards 2011 Nominations". Youtube (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- Saeed, Fathimath (23 October 2015). "Majority of the awards for "Niuma", "Happy Birthday" announced as best film". Sun (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- Nadheem, Ahmed (23 October 2015). "Yoope crowned Best Actor, Niuma received Best Actress, and Happy Birthday as the Best Film". Avas (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.