Bangladesh's Oscar entry 'Hawa' to release in India

New Delhi: 'Hawa' the film which brought a new breeze to the Bangladeshi film industry, is now being distributed throughout India.

The film is directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon and will be released on December 16 in Kolkata and West Bengal, and December 30 in the rest of India.

Sun Music and Motion Pictures Limited, the film's production company, announced that the film will be distributed across India by Singapore entity Continental Entertainment Private Limited (CEPL) via Reliance Entertainment.

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

The film has received widespread critical acclaim and has been shown at numerous cross-border festivals and diaspora events. This film has been nominated for the 'Best International Feature Film' category at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars), which will be held next year. Following a very 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 of 'Hawa' in India, Ajoy Kumar Kundu, Executive Producer of Sun Music and Motion Pictures Limited expressed his excitement and 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. We are very happy to be associated with this film. 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 among them.”

Sreyashii Sengupta, CEO (South-East Asia) of CEPL, which has acquired the distribution rights for HAWA in several countries including India, said, “The release of 'Hawa' in India opens news 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 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' with the story and dialogues of Mejbaur Rahman Sumon under the banner of Facecard Productions. The cast include Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasir Uddin Khan, Shohel Mondol and others. (UNI)