Happy Birthday is a 2009 Maldivian suspense thriller film written and directed by Moomin Fuad. Produced by Yoosuf Mohamed Ali under Dark Rain Entertainment, the film stars Yoosuf Shafeeu and Niuma Mohamed in pivotal roles. Winning five Gaumee Film Awards and twelve Maldives Film Awards, the film was also screened at the Venice Film Festival.
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. Though the film received positive reviews from critics, it was a commercial failure. According to Fuad, its failure had a big impact on his career and he lost several other projects due to its financial loss.
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
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. 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".
Accolades Year Award Category Recipients Result 2011 1st Maldives Film Awards Best Film Happy Birthday Best Director Moomin Fuad Best Actor Yoosuf Shafeeu Best Editing Ali Shifau Best Cinematography Moomin Fuad Best Screenplay Moomin Fuad Best Art Direction Ali Shifau, Moomin Fuad Best Child Artist Ismail Nuwail Best Original Song Moomin Fuad - "Araamu" Best Original Score Shaaz Saeed, Abdul Basith Best Sound Editing Ali Shifau Best Sound Mixing Ali Shifau, Moomin Fuad Best Costume Designer Ibrahim Ali, Aminath Hassan 2015 6th Gaumee Film Awards Best Film Happy Birthday Best Director Moomin Fuad Best Actor Yoosuf Shafeeu Best Original Song Moomin Fuad - "Araamu" Best Editing Ali Shifau Best Screenplay Moomin Fuad Best Art Direction Moomin Fuad, Ali Shifau, Mohamed Ali Best Costume Design Ibrahim Ali, Aminath Hassan
References