A dense crowd swarm around closed ticket counters at Modhumita Cinema Hall in the capital. They sing “Shada Shada Kala Kala” from the film “Hawa,” the tickets to which are as illusive as the film’s mysterious sea creature. A few people try to sell tickets on their own, a mini black market, a phenomenon even the most hyped “Avengers” films didn’t spawn.
In a time when the entire world is reeling from pandemic blues and a dwindling box office, “Hawa” has breathed new life into theatres in Bangladesh. Released in 24 halls across the country, pre-booked tickets to this film sold faster than the wind. And the theatres that are selling the tickets on the day of the shows have people lined up all the way into the streets.
The enthusiasm has surpassed mainstream Eid films of yesteryears where audiences maintained lines to watch their favourite star (namely Shakib Khan) throw catchy dialogues in cheesy outfits, dancing in exotic locations with Caucasian background dancers. These films never fared well in cineplexes. It was believed that the “local hall” audiences preferred films of a different taste and “never the twain shall meet.” Yet here we are at the juncture of what could possibly be a revolution, an artist’s honest vision uniting all classes of cinephiles.
There have been some attempts to make films for the mass in recent times. This Eid’s film “Poran” comes to mind. Running successfully for three weeks now at theatres, the moderately budgeted film went head-to-head with action/comedy “Din: The Day” (please correct me if I got the genre wrong). But Mejbaur Rahman Sumon is all about being true to his artistic expression, never yielding to popular expectations, bowing to no one.
“Hawa” is playing in 24 theatres in Dhaka, Savar, Narayanganj, Chittagong, Khulna, Pabna, Sirajganj, Rongpur, Bogura, Mymensing, Gazipur and Sylhet. Directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, the film stars Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Razz, Shohel Mondol, Nasir Uddin Khan and Sumon Anowar in key roles.
