Sharaf Abdulla

After completing his education in his homeland, R. Meedhoo, Abdulla relocated to Male' in 2010, in search of a job opportunity.^[1] After working at several jobs, he joined a local television channel VTV, where he featured in a drama series developed by VTV. His talent was noticed by director Ilyas Waheed, who offered him to play a significant role for his upcoming venture.^[2] Abdulla's first project was Waheed's crime thriller Nina, where he was roped in to play the lead role against Nuzuhath Shuaib.^[3] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release of the film got delayed indefinitely making the path for his other releases.^[4] He made his career debut with Ilyas Waheed's four-part anthology web series Mazloom, which follows the lives of two survivors of alleged rape assaults.^[5] Reviewing from MuniAvas, Ahmed Rasheed praised the performance of Abdulla and wrote: "Though a new face, Sharaf has proved that he is here to stay, with his firm acting ability".^[6]

The following year, he worked with Ilyas Waheed for his horror thriller anthology web series Biruveri Vaahaka as Azaan, a newly wed husband who searches for his wife who disappears while on honeymoon.^[7] Upon release, the series received positive reviews from critics mostly pointing out the performance of the cast and writer-director Ilyas' creativity for merging horror folklore into an "engaging visual treat".^[8] His next project was Dark Rain Entertainment's revenge thriller anthology web series Dark Rain Chronicles where he played the role of a scammer.^[9]

Sharaf's first feature film, Hindhukolheh, produced by Dark Rain Entertainment was digitally released in 2023.^[10] In this film directed by Ali Shifau, Abdulla played the role Imran, a hopelessly Romeo who helps Kiara, a girl who recently loss her memory, to fulfill her long-held wishes.^[11] Starring opposite Aminath Rashfa, the film received mainly positive reviews from critics.^[12] Reviewing the film from Dhen, Aishath Areena called his performance "different" and "commendable" for portraying the appropriate emotions through facial expressions and vocal texture.^[12] The same year, he collaborated with Azhan Ibrahim for his crime thriller web series Mirai opposite Washiya Mohamed, where he played the role of a determined father seeking revenge for the murder of his small child.^[13]