Sheela Najeeb

Sheela Najeeb (born 7 September 1974) is a Maldivian film actress.

She has established a career in Maldivian Film Industry and is the recipient of several awards, one Gaumee Film Awards and two Maldivian Film Awards.

She made her screen debut alongside Junaid in a music video "Nudhaashey Magey Loabivaa" and featured in several films afterwards.

The film was an unofficial remake of Karan Johar's romantic drama film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji in the lead role.

In 2000, Najeeb made her television debut by playing the role of Aminath, an obedient young woman who is forced by her step-mother to marry an old businessman in Abdul Faththaah's television drama series Dhoapatta.

Starring alongside Mohamed Shavin, Niuma Mohamed and Jamsheedha Ahmed, the series centers on unrequited love and complications of a relationship within and beyond marriage.

The same year she played Zeena, a college student opposite Yoosuf Shafeeu and Niuma Mohamed, in Hussain Adil's romance Hiyy Halaaku.

The plot combines two love triangles set years apart.

The first half covers friends on a college campus, while the second tells the story of a widower's young daughter who tries to reunite her dad with his old friend.

In 2001, she gained wider recognition for the lead role in the romance Hiiy Edhenee; a remake of Dhadkan, followed by Abdul Fattah's Aan... Aharenves Loabivin (2002) and his horror film Eynaa (2004).

In 2001, Najeeb received much acclaim for her role in Aishath Ali Manik's Hiiy Edhenee (2001) which was an unofficial remake of Dharmesh Darshan's romantic film Dhadkan (2000) starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Shilpa Shetty in the lead role.

Cast opposite Ali Seezan and Asad Shareef, Najeeb played the role of Sheleen Yoosuf, a young woman who hailed from an extremely rich and influential family being forced to marry a man she does not like.

She next starred alongside Yoosuf Shafeeu, Jamsheedha Ahmed, Mohamed Shavin and Ibrahim Giyas in Amjad Ibrahim-directed Aaah (2001) which revolves around two siblings involved in family business and the downfall of the younger brother's love life when he discovers his fiance is already married to an abusive husband.

Apart from working in Amjad Ibrahim's romantic drama film Kahvalhah Dhaandhen (2002) opposite Yoosuf Shafeeu, Najeeb collaborated with Ibrahim for his romantic horror film Dhonkamana (2003) which depicts the romantic relationship between a young man (played by Yoosuf Shafeeu) and an old woman (played by Fauziyya Hassan).

Featuring Hassan, Yoosuf Shafeeu, Niuma Mohamed, Sheereen Abdul Wahid, Amira Ismail and Aminath Rasheedha, the film received mainly negative reviews from critics though its inclusion of the theme portraying the relationship between a couple with a large age group was appraised.

It was followed by Abdul Faththaah-directed Aan... Aharenves Loabivin (2002) starred alongside Ali Seezan, Niuma Mohamed, Aminath Rasheedha and Neena Saleem where she played the role of Sara, the only child of a family who had a bitter relationship with her lovers and an unfortunate incident leading her to suffer from amnesia.

Upon release, the film opened to positive response from critics and was a commercially successful project.

She rose to widespread prominence in the television industry and was applauded for her performance as the forbearing second wife, in the Abdul Faththaah-directed critically acclaimed television series, Thiyey Mihithuge Vindhakee (2003) which was considered as one of the best series production in television industry.

Abdul Fattah's horror film Eynaa (2004) was released in 2004, in which appeared Najeeb, Mohamed Manik, Ahmed Shah, Khadheeja Ibrahim Didi, Ibrahim Jihad and Nashidha Mohamed as six colleagues who go on a picnic to a haunted uninhabited island and their battle for survival.

The film garnered critical appreciation especially for its technical department and was a commercial success.

Najeeb collaborated with Fathimath Nahula for the first time in her critically and commercially successful romantic drama television series, Kalaage Haqqugaa by replacing Jamsheedha Ahmed after the seventh episode, to portray the role of Nuzu, a depressive wife mourning over her dead husband.

She received a Gaumee Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing the iniquitous mother in Zuleykha (2005).

She repeated her collaboration with Fathimath Nahula for another critically appreciated and commercially prosperous project, a romantic drama film Zuleykha (2005) which narrates the journey of a nine years old girl seeking the lost love of her mother.

Featuring an ensemble cast including Yoosuf Shafeeu, Mariyam Nisha, Ali Seezan, Mohamed Manik and Mariyam Enash Sinan, Najeeb played the role of an iniquitous mother which fetched her a Gaumee Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Thirty three housefull shows of the film were screened at the cinema making it the highest grossing Maldivian release of the year.

This was followed by Amjad Ibrahim's romantic drama film Hithuge Edhun (2006) which narrates the story of a disabled man.

Najeeb played the role of Nisha, the devoted wife who has been abandoned by her husband, which resulted in another Gaumee Film Award nomination as the Best Supporting Actress.

The same year, Najeeb collaborated with Arifa Ibrahim for her romantic television drama series, Vaguthu Faaithu Nuvanees (2006) which consists of fifty episodes.

The series which follows the vengeance and retribution two best-friends go through when they both love the same person, features her in the role of Shazma, a religious and acquiescent woman who is mistreated by her brother and sister-in-law.

The role was portrayed by Mariyam Zuhura before Najeeb replaced her from the thirty-fourth episode.

In 2008, Najeeb appeared in Fathimath Nahula's romantic drama film, Yoosuf which depicts the story of a deaf and mute man (played by Yoosuf Shafeeu) who has been mistreated by a wealthy family, mocking his disability.

Featuring an ensemble cast including Yoosuf Shafeeu, Niuma Mohamed, Mohamed Manik, Ahmed Nimal, Fauziyya Hassan, Ravee Farooq, Zeenath Abbas and Ahmed Lais Asim, the film is considered to include most prominent faces in a Maldivian film.

Najeeb played the devoted friend of the titular character and regarded her role to be one of the most challenging role she has portrayed in her career since most of her dialogues need to "audible and expressive in gestures".

The film received widespread critical acclaim and was attained a blockbuster status at box office.

A total of forty five housefull shows were screened at Olympus Cinema before the film was leaked online, however the producers were able to screen five more shows at the cinema making it one of the Maldivian all-time highest grossing movies.

The film was Maldivian official entry at 2009 SAARC Film Festivals and holds the privilege of being the opening movie of the festival.

Her performance earned her a Maldives Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She went on to establish herself as a leading actress of Maldivian cinema by starring in horror film Zalzalaa En'buri Aun (2010) resulting in a Gaumee Film Award for Best Actress nomination.

During the year played supporting roles in year's two highest grossing films, Niuma (2010) and Heyonuvaane (2010) where her performance gained critical acclaim.

Her role as a whistleblower in the former and a ferocious wife in the latter fetched her two Best Supporting Actress nominations.