Hussain Munawwar (born 5 February 1998), commonly known as Kuda Foolhu is a Maldivian film director, cinematographer, producer and actor.
Career In 2006, Munawwar starred as the character Kudafoolhu, a manipulative devil under the strict instructions of his master, in the first installment of Yoosuf Shafeeu-directed short film series, Vasvaas which proved to be a breakthrough for him with his humorous and child-friendly act. He reprised the role in several of his other ventures including Kudafoolhuge Vasvaas (2006) and Kudafoolhaai Paree Dhahtha (2007). His performance in playing the character fetched him a Maldives Film Award for Best Actor in short films category.
In 2011, Munawwar starred as gangster in the Moomin Fuad-directed crime tragedy drama Loodhifa. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film deals with modern social issues in society told from the 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. He made his directorial debut with the romantic drama film Sazaa, featuring Ismail Rasheed, Niuma Mohamed and Lufshan Shakeeb. The story revolves around a carefree woman whose life is turned upside down when she is forced to marry a brutal man. His debut as a director was appreciated by the critics and emerged as a commercial success. At the 7th Gaumee Film Awards ceremony, Munawwar was bestowed with the Best Cinematographer award for Sazaa while being nominated in the same category for Loodhifa (2011) and Ingili (2013).
Following the success of Sazaa, Munawwar directed his second feature film, Dhilakani which stars Ismail Rasheed, Niuma Mohamed, Mohamed Manik, Aminath Rishfa and Mohamed Faisal in main roles. The film which deals with a man's tumultuous journey to seek vengeance, his undoing and his eventual redemption from an unlikeliest of sources, received negative reception from critics. Ahmed Nadheem from Haveeru wrote: "The film is similar to a ship without a direction, an aimless screenplay leading the director to no path. Embraced with futile characters, impractical scenes and out-dated music, the film has problems in each department". Despite the negative reviews, Munawwar received a nomination as the Best Director at the 3rd Maldives Film Awards.
In 2016, Munawwar directed the film Neyngi Yaaru Vakivee featuring Ahmed Azmeel, Maleeha Waheed, Ismail Jumaih and Aminath Rishfa. Critics gave the film negative reviews, considering it a "boring" and "forced" attempt at film production. Despite the negative reviews, the film did average business at the end of its theatrical run.
Filmography Feature film Year Title Role Notes 2011 Loodhifa Thomas Also the cinematographer
Television Year Title Role Notes 2004 Kamana Vareh Neiy Hussain Recurring role; 3 episodes
Short film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Vasvaas 1 Kudafoolhu 2006 Kudafoolhuge Vasvaas Kudafoolhu 2007 Kudafoolhaai Paree Dhahtha Kudafoolhu 2007 Paneeno Paneeno 2010Kudafoolhu Kudafoolhu
Other work Year Title Director Producer Camera Editing Notes 2006 Kudafoolhuge Vasvaas Short film 2007 Kudafoolhaai Paree Dhahtha Short film 2007 Paneeno Short film; Also the co-writer 2007 Umurah Salaam Short film 2008 Prince of Madagaskara Short film 2009 01 January Short film 2010 Veeraana Feature film 2011 Loodhifa Feature film 2011 Sazaa Feature film 2011 Wathan Feature film 2012 Dhirumeh Nethas Television series; 5 episodes 2013 Ingili Feature film 2013 Dhilakani Feature film 2016Bithufangi 2 Television series; 13 episodes 2016 Neyngi Yaaru Vakivee Feature film 2016 Vee Beyvafa Feature film 2017Bandharu Office drama 2019 Shhh Web series; 5 episodes 2020 Hanaa Web series; 13 episodes 2024 Kamanaa Feature film 2025 Kan'bulo Feature film
Discography Year Film/album Song Lyricist(s) Co-artist(s) 2007Kudafoolhaai Paree Dhahtha "Kuda Foolhaa" Imad Ismail
Accolades Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2012 2nd Maldives Film Awards Best Art Direction Loodhifa (Shared with Moomin Fuad and Ismail Rasheed) Best Actor - Short Film Kudafoolhu 2014 3rd Maldives Film Awards Best Director Dhilakani Best Art Direction Ingili (Shared with Ravee Farooq and Mahdi Ahmed) Dhilakani (Shared with Hassan Shiyam) Best Cinematography Ingili 2016 7th Gaumee Film Awards Best Director Sazaa Best Cinematography Sazaa Ingili Loodhifa Best Art Direction Loodhifa (Shared with Moomin Fuad and Ismail Rasheed) Ingili (Shared with Ravee Farooq and Mahdi Ahmed) Sazaa Best Costume Design Sazaa 2025 5th Karnataka International Film Festival Best Director Kamanaa
References