Hussain Munawwar

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.^[1] He reprised the role in several of his other ventures including Kudafoolhuge Vasvaas (2006) and Kudafoolhaai Paree Dhahtha (2007).^[1] His performance in playing the character fetched him a Maldives Film Award for Best Actor in short films category.^[2]

In 2011, Munawwar starred as gangster in the Moomin Fuad-directed crime tragedy drama Loodhifa.^[3] Featuring an ensemble cast, the film deals with modern social issues in society told from the different perspectives of the characters.^[4] Made on a budget of MVR 600,000, the film was declared a commercial failure though it received wide critical acclaim.^[3] He made his directorial debut with the romantic drama film Sazaa, featuring Ismail Rasheed, Niuma Mohamed and Lufshan Shakeeb.^[5] The story revolves around a carefree woman whose life is turned upside down when she is forced to marry a brutal man.^[5] His debut as a director was appreciated by the critics and emerged as a commercial success.^[5] 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).^[6][7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9] 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".^[10] Despite the negative reviews, Munawwar received a nomination as the Best Director at the 3rd Maldives Film Awards.^[11]

In 2016, Munawwar directed the film Neyngi Yaaru Vakivee featuring Ahmed Azmeel, Maleeha Waheed, Ismail Jumaih and Aminath Rishfa.^[12] Critics gave the film negative reviews, considering it a "boring" and "forced" attempt at film production.^[13] Despite the negative reviews, the film did average business at the end of its theatrical run.^[14]