Bangladesh’s official entry for Oscars, ‘Hawa’, to release on Dec 16

MUMBAI: "Hawa" (Wind), the film that came like a new breeze to the Bangladeshi film industry, will be released on December 16 in Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, and across India on December 30. The film, which is also Bangladesh's top grosser, has been directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon.

Sun Music and Motion Pictures Ltd, the film's production company, has said it will be distributed across India by the Singapore-based entity, Continental Entertainment Private Ltd (CEPL) via Reliance Entertainment.

"Hawa", the myth, fantasy and mystery-thriller film, received a huge response from its fans in Bangladesh soon after its release in theatres in that country on July 29. Even after four months of release, it is still running in theatres and raking in business and getting love.

The film has received widespread critical acclaim and has been shown at numerous cross-border festivals and diaspora events. It has been nominated for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars), which will be held next year.

Following a successful run in Singapore under CEPL, the film will now have a wide release in India through Reliance Entertainment.

In anticipation of this major milestone, Ajoy Kumar Kundu, Executive Producer of Sun Music and Motion Pictures Ltd, said: "With this release, the proud product of some creative people of Bangladesh will be able to reach many more Bengali-speaking people all over the world. Bengali films have many audiences in our neighboring country. I think 'Hawa' will play a vital role in increasing the demand for Bangladeshi films here and creating a strong market for them."

Sreyashii Sengupta, CEO (South-East Asia) of CEPL, which has acquired the distribution rights for "Hawa" in a number of countries, including India, said: "The release of 'Hawa' will open new gateways for the Bangladesh-India media business. There is already an exchange of ideas on content; this will open up newer paths for collaboration."

Sengupta added: "Language is no longer a barrier with a world keen on content and diverse stories for the big- screen experience. 'Hawa' offers that. We see a robust partner in Reliance Entertainment in India to create a milestone in such a supportive and wide release."

Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, Sukorno Shahed Dhiman and Jaheen Faruque Amin have written the screenplay of "Hawa"; the story and dialogues are by Sumon, who works under the banner of Facecard Productions. Lead roles in the movie are played by Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasiruddin Khan and Shohel Mondol.