Ismail Wajeeh

Ismail Wajeeh
Born	(1962-09-20) 20 September 1962 (age 63) Malé, Maldives
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1984–2001; 2017–present
Children	5

Ismail Wajeeh (20 September 1962) is a Maldivian actor and choreographer.

Early life

While studying in primary school, Wajeeh, along with his nephews used to perform songs and stage shows to small gatherings. ^[1] While studying in grade 4, he was offered to be part of an English radio drama produced by the Voice of Maldives, titled "The Enormous Turnip". ^[1] During his secondary education, he played small roles in stage dramas as an extra. ^[1] In 1982, he got offered by the leading theatre performing group, Cultural and Drama Society (CDS) to be part of their group. ^[1]

Career

In 1984, while Wajeeh was working in Television Maldives, he meets the director Mohamed Hilmy, a friend of his brother, who asked Wajeeh if he is interested to be the lead actor of his upcoming film, Chuttee (1984), to which he agrees instantly. ^[1] In the film, he played a shady character which was well received by the critics and audience. ^[1]

The Mohamed Hilmy and Ali Waheed directed film, Ihsaas was released in 1993 in which Wajeeh starred as an orphan who is psychologically disturbed following a false arrest. His "genuine" performance received positive reviews from critics and resulted in winning a Gaumee Film Award for Best Actor. The next year, he starred in Ali Waheed-directed Kulunu where he played the role of a doctor who is forced to marry his childhood friend. ^[2] Mariyam Shauqee's widely acclaimed family drama television series Kahthiri was released in 1997; here Wajeeh played the role of a stay home husband, living in a congested housing complex while dealing with various social issues. ^[3]

In 2000, he appeared in two films; Hussain Shihab's drama film Rihun and Mohamed Ali Manik's Maazee alongside Jamsheedha Ahmed, Mariyam Nazima and Aminath Rasheedha which narrates the story of two best friends, a boy and a girl, who get separated at childhood and reunite as adults. ^[4] Ahmed played the role of underprivileged young man who turns into a successful person due to his hardwork and determination. ^[1]

The following year he starred as a widower in the Abdulla Sujau and Abdul Faththaah-directed family drama Ranmuiy (2001) which is centered on the dispute between a daughter and her step-mother. ^[1] The film was heavily marketed for its item song featuring himself and Indian actress Rajeshwari, which also marks the first international collaboration in the local industry. ^{[5] [6]} Afterwards, he relocated to Singapore and disappeared in all local productions.

Sixteen years later, Wajeeh made a comeback in a special appearance with the Dark Rain Entertainment's production, the romantic comedy Mee Loaybakee (2017) followed by another of their comedy films Maamui (2019). ^{[7] [8]}

Personal life

Apart from acting, Wajeeh served as the Assistant Principal in Jamaluddin School. ^[1] Afterwards, he started working as a program coordinator at Television Maldives. ^[1] He married a Singapore-Indian woman residing in Singapore and relocated to Singapore in 2001, hoping to provide better education for their children. ^[1]

Filmography

Feature film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1984	Chuttee			[1]
1993	Ihsaas	Mohamed Unaiz	Gaumee Film Award for Best Actor	[1]
1994	Kulunu	Rashidh		[2]
1997	Heelaiy	News presenter	Special appearance	[9]
1998	Huvafen
2000	Rihun	Unaiz		[1]
2000	Maazee	Ahmed Imran		[4]
2001	Ranmuiy	Waheedh		[6]
2017	Mee Loaybakee	Ismail	Special appearance	[7]
2019	Maamui	Jaguar		[8]
2023	November	Sam		[10]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1997	Huvafaiy
1997–1999	Kahthiri	Umar	Main role; 38 episodes	[3]
1998	Ehan'dhaan
1998	Raalhubaani		Teledrama
1999	Maafkuraashey	Moosa's boss	Guest role; Episode 02
1999	Hamaekani Dharifulhahtakai...	Umaiz	Teledrama
2000	Kashithanmathi	Fareedh	Teledrama
2021	Rumi á Jannat	Sam	Guest role; Episode: "Vaashey Mashaa Ekee"	[11]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref(s)
1995	1st Gaumee Film Awards	Best Actor	Ihsaas	Won	[1]
		Best Makeup	Ihsaas (Shared with Mohamed Hilmy)	Won	[1]

References

1. Rasheed, Ahmed (16 August 2018). "Wants to play an action movie: Ismail Wajeeh". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
2. "Gaumee Inaam 2001 - Aishath Shiranee". Presidency Maldives (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
3. Ali, Ifraz (1 October 2019). "Where are all the drama series?". Dho? (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
4. Ifraz, Ali (23 September 2018). "Wajeeh and Jamsheedha reunites at polling location". Avas (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
5. "Juhi sprains an ankle". Rediff.com . 2 November 2008. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
6. Adhushan, Ahmed (23 January 2017). "Reminiscing international collaborations". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
7. Adhushan, Ahmed (4 April 2017). "Dark Rain's Mee Laoybakee premiering tonight". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
8. Adhushan, Ahmed (28 July 2017). "Maamui to be released as a feature film instead of a web series". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
9. Adhushan, Ahmed (5 May 2020). "A list of local copy films". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
10. Adhushan, Ahmed (22 July 2019). "Maju and Jumayyil return with another DRE project". Mihaaru (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
11. Luba, Aminath (1 January 2020). "Rumi a Jannat: A modern comedy". Sun (in Divehi). Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.