India’s Reliance Entertainment and Singapore-based Continental Entertainment Private Limited are releasing Bangladesh’s Oscars submission Hawa (Wind) across India, marking the first time ever that a purely Bangladeshi film has received a wide pan-India release.
The fantasy thriller, directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, will be released in Kolkata and the state of West Bengal on December 16, coinciding with Bangladesh’s Victory Day national holiday, followed by a release in several cities across India beginning December 30.
Produced by Sun Music and Motion Pictures, the film was released in Bangladesh theatres on July 29, where it is still playing more than four months later. Filmed at sea during the pandemic, it tells the story of a group of fishermen who find a beautiful creature under the sea.
CEPL acquired rights to the film for India, Singapore, the Middle East and Europe, and has so far also released it theatrically in Singapore.
While Bangladeshi films have been released in India previously, they are usually only released in Kolkata and other cities in the state of West Bengal, where the local population speaks Bengali, which is also the main language of Bangladesh. Doob – No Bed of Roses, directed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, was released in India outside West Bengal, but was co-produced by India’s Eskay Films and the film’s Indian star, the late Irrfan Khan.
“With this release, the proud product of some creative people of Bangladesh, we will be able to reach many more Bengali-speaking people all over the world,” said Ajoy Kumar Kundu, executive producer of Sun Music and Motion Pictures. “Bengali films have many audiences in our neighboring country. Hawa will play a vital role in increasing the demand for Bangladeshi films and creating a strong market among them.”
Sreyashii Sengupta, CEO (South-East Asia) of CEPL, said, “The release of Hawa in India opens new gateways for the Bangladesh-India media business. There is already an exchange of ideas on content and this opens newer paths for collaboration. Language is no more a barrier with a world keen on content and diverse stories for the big-screen experience.”
Hawa is scripted by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, Sukorno Shahed Dhiman and Jaheen Faruque Amin. The cast includes Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasir Uddin Khan and Shohel Mondol.