My father, Beyyathutthu, was from Malé, the capital city of the Maldives. My mother was from Thaa Atoll Hirilandhoo, an island in the heart of the Maldives. From them, I inherited two worlds: the rhythm and energy of the capital, and the quiet strength of island life.

My father’s gift

From the 1960s until 1974, my father was known as one of the most respected musical artists of his time. He served in the Police Service from his young age until his death, and he was admired as a trusted teacher, bandmaster, musician, and lyricist. He was especially gifted in writing songs about love. People waited eagerly for his live performances, where he played the harmonium and sang with deep feeling.

After his passing

In 1974, my father left this world. I was only thirteen years old. His passing created a silence in my life that no one could fill. From that day, my mother carried the responsibility of my life alone. She became both father and mother to me, guiding my schooling, upbringing, and future with strength and sacrifice.

In 1976, I left school and joined government service at the National Meteorological Centre as an observer. It was the beginning of my working life, shaped by my father’s memory and my mother’s courage.

Painting, music, and sport

During my teenage years, I explored sports and many other talents. Later, in my twenties, I began practising oil painting. I participated in national art exhibitions and was fortunate to win several prizes. Around the same period, music also became an important part of my life. I started playing drums and performed in many places throughout the Maldives.

Poetry and family

At the age of twenty-four, I began writing poems, and I have continued writing until today. Poetry became one of the deepest expressions of my soul. It gave me a way to speak through love, memory, pain, and imagination. I am grateful that album producers and film producers trusted my writing. Their confidence gave me a respected place in the creative world.

At the same age, I married my first wife, Fathimath Nizar, who was working in the same office environment as I was. From that marriage, we were blessed with two daughters. After nearly a decade, we separated, but we remained close and respectful friends so that our children would not suffer from our separation.

I later married my second wife and moved to her island, which, by a beautiful turn of fate, was also my mother’s home island, Hirilandhoo. I took my mother with us and began a new family chapter. With my second wife, I have now shared many long years of married life, and we were blessed with two sons and twin daughters, who are now fourteen years old.

Twenty-six years in film

In 1989, I stepped into feature film direction. This became one of the greatest chapters of my artistic life. For twenty-six years, I served this field with passion, discipline, and dedication. Film gave me a place where poetry, music, emotion, and visual imagination could live together.

A new chapter

In 2006, after moving into my new home, my life changed again. I entered a calmer, cooler, and fresher environment. It gave me peace, space, and a new rhythm of living. That change helped me reflect on my past and continue my journey with maturity and hope.

Through all these years, I have carried one belief in my heart: the talents I have in poetry, music, painting, and film are gifts I inherited from my beloved father. His artistic spirit lives within me. My mother’s sacrifice gave me strength, and my father’s gift gave me direction. Every chapter of my life has been shaped by loss, struggle, love, responsibility, and art.