Watched Hawa on the third day of it's release. Came out of the theatre and discussed the film with my friends. Then took a bike ride and went to a bank. Did my work in the bank and came home in a rickshaw. Took a bath. Then sat in front of the TV to watch Bangladesh's match. From leaving the theatre till watching the match, all I had in my head was ‘_HAW_A’ the film. Yes, I JUST CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT !!
Hawa being one of the most hyped film before release in the history of Bangladeshi cinema, made me a bit nervous thinking, will it be able to live up to the expectations? It sure did. Hawa gave me one of my most satisfying theatre experience ever. I had better experience of watching a cinema in a theatre before, but never with a Bangladeshi cinema. That makes my today's 2 hours and 30 minutes of experience in the cinema hall more special.
The film started off with calmness. With stunning visuals that kept on serving my eyes as a treat. But I was proved wrong soon about the mindset I had set for the first half of the film. Most of the reviews described the first half as slow. That you need patience to go through the first half. Whereas I found the first half extremely enjoyable. Not only me, the whole theatre seemed to enjoy every bit of it. The lighter moments really clicked. The humor seemed so natural. Not just the laughs, the whole thing had a feel good vibe to it. Again the beautiful visuals helped a lot. But even though the story progressed at a slow pace, the director kept the audience engaged with enough elements.
The second half is where it all happens. If you could sit back and relax with your popcorn in the first half, well that was it. No scope for that in the second half. The second half is all very crazy. The film takes unexpected turns. Tragedy, agony, shocking events take place one after another. And an angle of Fantasy that mixes with the Bengali mythology takes the film to a whole new level.
Talking about performances , Chanchal Chowdhury is a legend. I know I’ve said these words before & I’ll say it again and again. Cause if I try to use a different word every time to describe the man’s brilliance, I’ll be out of words soon. Even if I sit with a dictionary. He nails every bit of it. Sariful Razz gives back to back stellar performances. Wouldn't be unjustifiable by any means if it is said that he is truly 'A Star In The Making'. Proves his range by two consecutive promising performances. Nazifa Tushi gets a challenging role and she surely took on the challenge. Portrayed 'Gulti' with so much conviction. In fact each and every actor played their role with sheer perfection. You couldn’t have asked for more. And everyone makes their presence felt on the screen. You can’t talk about this film without praising each and every member of the cast.
The Director of the film , Mejbaur Rahman Sumon is a person that you can put your trust on. And he didn’t disappoint. It’s a craft that has been created with so much of care and patience. And the final product has come out being so perfect. The film has it all to keep the audience hooked. The director deserves all the praise for the way he shaped and presented his story in front of the audience.
In terms of other aspects , Every time the film Hawa’s name will be taken one thing that will always be mentioned with it is Kamrul Hasan Khosru’s cinematography. The visuals of this film are so soothing. How many ways can you show the sea and still make it as beautiful as you can?! Well Kamrul Hasan Khosru did that. There’s no way you can feel monotonous with the visuals despite the whole film being taken place in the same location. The cinematography of this film is undoubtedly the best among all the films of this country and there’s no second thought about it.
Along with the cinematography, the background score truly stood out. Helped the cause of the story & blended so well with the visuals. The makeup, costume, color grading, CGI everything was praiseworthy. A film that was so well planned out & everyone was honest with their work. That’s why each and every sector’s good work caught the eye and blended so well to make this story come to life. You can talk about the story and make a comparison with other Bangladeshi films. But in terms of the production, there’s no chance for any debate. There’s no comparison. This one walks away as the superior.
Finally , Is Hawa one of the best films that this country has ever produced? Where does it rank among the all time greats? Well that’s a completely different debate. I don’t wanna go there. But one thing that will remain as a fact is that this film will always be an integral part of this country’s cinema. It’ll remain a part of the history. It’s an experience that we the people of Bangladesh have had so less of till now. It’s an experience that I personally will always rate so highly. It’ll always remain special, for the piece of art it is !!
