Niuma Mohamed (pronounced ; 20 October 1977) is a Maldivian film actress, director, and producer. The highest-paid actress in Maldives, Mohamed is the recipient of several awards, including two Gaumee Film Awards, and four Maldives Film Awards. She holds the record for collecting all three Maldives Film Awards for Best Actress in a feature film. In 2011, the Government of Maldives honoured her with the National Award of Recognition.
Mohamed was born in Vaadhoo and raised in Male'. After completing eight years of standard education, she dropped out of school and joined a taxi centre where a customer, a producer of Television Maldives, offered her to make her career debut with the drama series Hithi Thajuribaa (1994). Despite some criticism, she soon received several offers and starred in the horror film Fathis Handhuvaru (1997), which proved to be a breakthrough for her. She went on to act in several more horror films, including Zalzalaa (2000), Ginihila (2003), Dhonkamana (2003), Sandhuravirey 2 (2004), and Handhu Keytha (2005). Mohamed received her first Gaumee Film Award for Best Actress in 2007 with her portrayal of the tolerant second wife in Kalaayaanulaa (2003).
She was later noted for her portrayal of a devoted wife in Hiyani (2006), a schoolteacher in Fathimath Nahula's highest-grossing film, Yoosuf (2008), and in Hiyy Rohvaanulaa (2008), all of which resulted in Gaumee Film Award nominations. She established herself as the most prominent leading actress of Maldivian cinema in 2010 with the film Niuma, which also marked her directorial debut. She was bestowed with her second Gaumee Film Award for Best Actress along with a nomination as Best Director for this production; she won both the awards at 2nd Maldives Film Awards. Mohamed's success continued with the family dramas Maafeh Neiy (2010), Sazaa (2011), Mihashin Furaana Dhandhen (2012), Dhilakani (2013), and Aadheys (2014). Marking her twenty-year-long career, in 2017 she announced her retirement from acting and in 2019, she released the psychological thriller Nivairoalhi, her last onscreen film.
Early life Mohamed was born on 20 October 1977 in GDh. Vaadhoo, the youngest of six siblings. A die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Aamir Khan, and Kajol, she frequently listened to Voice of Maldives and watched Bollywood films, which inspired her to become an actress.
Mohamed attended Maafannu Madharusa school and she calls her experience there a "joyous ride". She completed eight standard school years with no intention of studying further. In 1993, she worked in the Villingili government as her first job. The next year, she joined a taxi centre and four months later, she received a call from Mariyam Shauqee, a producer for Television Maldives, praising her voice and offering to cast Mohamed in one of her films. At the age of seventeen, the young actress made her career debut in Shaugee's television drama series Hithi Thajuribaa (1994) alongside Ali Shameel, Aminath Rasheedha, and Arifa Ibrahim. She later joined a class to complete her GCE Ordinary Level exam but instead "evaded" for a film shooting, using the money she saved up for her exam fee.
Career 1994–2002: Early releases Once her talent was recognized with Hithi Thajuribaa, Mohamed was offered several other film roles. She first acted in the film Badhal (1996), though her first release was Hagu An'bi (1996). In the former, she starred alongside Hamid Ali, Hussain Sobah, and Waleedha Waleed while playing the role of Shiuna, the charismatic and intelligent teenage daughter of a wealthy businessman who is being duped in a series of unfortunate events. At the 1996 Aafathis Awards ceremony, Mohamed received the Best actress, Best Dance, and Best Performer awards. The same year, she starred opposite Arifa Ibrahim, Abdul Raheem, and Ibrahim Wisan in Mohamed Rasheed's Hifehettumeh Neiy Karuna, where she played the role of Thasneem, an orphan who has been mistreated and abused by her adoptive mother. This was followed by Yoosuf Rafeeu's comedy Nibu (1996), an unofficial remake of Gulzar's Bollywood comedy Angoor (1982), which focuses on two pairs of identical twins separated at birth and how their lives go haywire when they meet in adulthood.
Easa Shareef's horror film Fathis Handhuvaru (1997), where are starred opposite Reeko Moosa Manik, proved to be a breakthrough for Mohamed. The film tells the story of a married young woman who falls in love with a ghost. The film is celebrated as the most successful Maldivian film with the highest number of shows screened upon release. Alt URL Mohamed then starred opposite Reeko Moosa Manik, Hassan Afeef, and Mariyam Nazima in Easa Shareef's Emme Fahu Dhuvas (2000), where she played a devious woman who spoils her best friend's upcoming marriage by creating false accusation and staging misleading impressions. The following year, she played the role of Mary, a devoted wife desperately seeking affection from her husband in Abdul Faththaah's television drama series Dhoapatta (2000). The series also featured Mohamed Shavin, Sheela Najeeb, and Jamsheedha Ahmed. Mohamed's collaboration with Faththaah was repeated the same year with another romantic drama series, Aisha, where she played the helpful friend of a young woman suffering from an abusive marriage. Mariyam Shauqee's widely acclaimed family drama television series Kahthiri was released in 1997; here Mohamed played the role of a doctor living in a congested housing complex while dealing with various social issues.
In 2000, Mohamed played Fazlee Shareef, an unattractive fun-loving tomboy who later transforms into a feminine and beautiful girl, and who is secretly in love with her best friend, in Hussain Adil's romance Hiyy Halaaku. The film was an unofficial remake of Karan Johar's romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji. The Amjad Ibrahim-directed Ainbehge Loabi Firiehge Vaajib, starring Mohamed, Yoosuf Shafeeu, Jamsheedha Ahmed, and Arifa Ibrahim was released the same year. The film revolves around a woman who has been mistreated by her stepmother and forced to marry against her will. Mohamed played the role of Dhiyana, the caring friend of Julia, played by Jamsheedha Ahmed. This was followed by the year's most successful Maldivian film, Ahmed Nimal's horror classic Zalzalaa, in which Mohamed portrays the character of Shiuna Ibrahim, an innocent and amenable young woman who marries a divorcee.
In 2001, Mohamed starred as an aspiring model and an obsessive lover in Aslam Rasheed's romantic thriller film Dheevaanaa, which was an unofficial remake of Ram Gopal Varma's romantic thriller Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), starring Urmila Matondkar, Fardeen Khan, and Sonali Kulkarni. The same year, she acted in Aishath Ali Manik's Hiiy Edhenee, which was an unofficial remake of Dharmesh Darshan's romantic film Dhadkan (2000), starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Shilpa Shetty in the lead roles. Cast opposite Ali Seezan, Sheela Najeeb, and Asad Shareef, Mohamed played the role of Leena, the partner of a wealthy businessman who secretly loves him for a long time.
2003–05: Horror films Niuma collaborated with Easa Shareef once again for another horror film, titled Ginihila (2003), alongside Ali Seezan, Mariyam Nisha, and Reeko Moosa Manik, playing the role of Suhana, a mentally unstable young girl who commits suicide when her boyfriend rejects her demand to leave his wife for her. The film is an unofficial remake of Vikram Bhatt's Indian horror film Raaz (2002), featuring Bipasha Basu, Dino Morea, Malini Sharma, and Ashutosh Rana, which itself is an unofficial adaptation of What Lies Beneath. Mohamed next worked with Amjad Ibrahim on his horror film Dhonkamana (2003), which depicts the romantic relationship between a young man (played by Yoosuf Shafeeu) and an old woman (played by Fauziyya Hassan). Featuring Hassan, Yoosuf Shafeeu, Sheela Najeeb, Sheereen Abdul Wahid, Amira Ismail, and Aminath Rasheedha, the film received mainly negative reviews from critics, though its inclusion of the theme portraying the relationship between a couple with a large age gap was praised. Mohamed was later applauded for her performance as Faraha, an empowered, wealthy business woman who makes it her life's mission to break up a happy marriage in the Abdul Faththaah-directed critically acclaimed television series Thiyey Mihithuge Vindhakee (2003).
Mohamed's most successful release of the year 2003 was Fathimath Nahula's romantic film Kalaayaanulaa, which tells the story of a man (Yoosuf Shafeeu) who decides to marry his childhood best friend (played by Mohamed) when his wife (Aishath Shiranee) fails to please him sexually. The film received widespread critical acclaim for its performances and was declared the year's highest-grossing Maldivian film. Mohamed's portrayal of the tolerant second wife garnered her a Miadhu Crystal Award for Best Actress and a Gaumee Film Award for Best Actress. This was followed by Abdul Faththaah's Aan... Aharenves Loabivin (2002), starring Mohamed, alongside Ali Seezan, Sheela Najeeb, Aminath Rasheedha, and Neena Saleem. Mohamed played the role of Suzy, an ill-fated girl who is forced to conceal her marriage in order to help her friend recovering from amnesia. The film opened to positive responses from critics and was commercially successful as well.
Mohamed next starred as a fangirl of an established actor in Amjad Ibrahim's next directorial venture, Sandhuravirey 2 (2004), a sequel to his 2002 horror film Sandhuravirey, which presented Yoosuf Shafeeu and Mariyam Nisha in the lead roles. The film follows a jinn avenging the death of its mother and sister. Similar to its prequel, the film received negative responses from critics.
In 2005, Mohamed starred alongside Ali Seezan and Sheereen Abdul Wahid in Ahmed Nimal's horror film Handhu Keytha (2005), which tells the story of a man who is enchanted by a spirit while witnessing a lunar eclipse. Mohamed then stepped into Fathimath Nahula's critically and commercially successful romantic drama television series Kalaage Haqqugaa, to play the role of Aishath Imna, a sacrificing mother and an orphan who is later abandoned by her guardian. Mohamed rose to widespread prominence in the television industry with her performance as an indolent daughter who marries her best friend in the Arifa Ibrahim-directed critically acclaimed television series Vairoalhi Ahves Sirrun in 2005. The story revolves around two best friends involved in extramarital affairs who fail to perform their duties as husband and wife. The show, which also included Lufshan Shakeeb, Ahmed Asim, Aminath Rasheedha, and Mariyam Shakeela, was listed as one of the most successful television series.
2006–09: Critical and commercial success In April 2006, Ahmed Nimal's revenge thriller Hiyani was released, featuring Mohamed as a devoted wife who seeks comfort in the company of her husband's kidnapper. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Mohamed's performance fetched her another Gaumee Film Award nomination for Best Actress. This was followed by Amjad Ibrahim's romantic drama film Hithuge Edhun (2006), which tells the story of a disabled man, with Mohamed playing the role of Shaniya, the man's caring wife who hides the truth of her first marriage. This resulted in another Gaumee Film Award nomination for Best Actress. The same year, Mohamed again collaborated with the team from Vairoalhi Ahves Sirrun, in Arifa Ibrahim's new romantic television drama series Vaguthu Faaithu Nuvanees. The series, which follows the story of two best friends who both love the same person, features Mohamed in the role of one of the friends, who pursues her revenge for the betrayal she feels she has experienced.