Exclusive! Chanchal Chowdhury on Hawa: A lot of hard work and sacrifice went behind the making of the film

Chanchal Chowdhury’s film Hawa has taken Kolkata by storm. Directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, the film is being screened at the fourth Bangladesh Film Festival at Nandan. On Saturday – the first day of the festival – thousands of people queued up to watch the film. After the craze that was witnessed on Saturday around the film that is Bangladesh’s official entry into the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards, the festival organisers added two more shows on Monday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the man of the moment, Chanchal Chowdhury, visited the auditorium after the shows leaving his fans in a frenzy. Taking a cue from one of the dialogues of the film, the actor addressed the auditorium, “Are you scared?” He then expressed his thanks to the audience and said, “I am overwhelmed to see the excitement. We are touched.” 

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Chanchal explained the commitment and hard work that went behind the film. “During the pandemic, when the popularity of OTT knew no bounds, I used to wonder if OTT would replace theatres. Then I realised that cinema has its audience. The amount of success that Hawa got, both commercially and critically, was amazing. It was also unexpected. The success proves that if you make something good, people will queue up and watch the film in theatres. Yes, OTT is much more economic. The amount of time and money you spend to watch a film at theatres with your family, you can buy a subscription to an OTT platform. And yet, there will be films, like Hawa, that will take you to theatres. If it is a good film, people will go to a theatre to watch it. No one knows when and which OTT platform will get the rights of Hawa. The director of the film made it for theatres and not for OTT,” he said.  

Evidently, Chanchal has his own fan base in Kolkata. After his Hoichoi web series Karagar, the fan base expanded and finally reflected at Nandan on the first day of the festival. “I like the way my audiences and journalists express their love for me in Kolkata. I really enjoy that. You see, LOC across the border of India and Bangladesh cannot divide the love we have for each other’s work. I feel if Bengalis across the border work together, we can create wonders. See the way South Indian films work – their scale is enormous. However, I don’t believe a large-scale film will always be a good film,” he said.

Chanchal also explained why Bangladesh is currently excelling in content – film, music, web series, etc. “We have our share of struggle and crisis. There is a crisis of good stories, budget, technical aspects, and so on. However, we personally get involved in projects and endure sacrifices to make things work. Everybody sacrifices to create something good and hence our attachment to the project is very good. The amount of effort we have put into Hawa cannot be compared with the limited budget. It was our sheer hard work that gets reflected in the film. Why did we do it? It is because we wanted to do something great. It is a question of our existence,” confessed an emotional Chanchal. “Now Hawa has received global fame. We know how much pain we endured to make the film. From the director and his team to the technical team, sound team, and musicians who composed the background score – everybody put forward an intense effort to make Hawa,” the actor said. He also mentioned that it was the alternative theatre movement that started in Bangladesh decades ago is also a reason behind the good works that are happening today. 

Chanchal pointed out that Kolkata’s film industry maintains a level of professionalism that Bangladesh lacks. “We are much more emotional and hence our attachment is deep. Here in Kolkata, many things are easy. Our journey is very difficult and hence, the struggle is also more. That’s why we end up creating something like Hawa. We have a lot of stories in Bangladesh. Hawa is one such story. If you think about it, Hawa attracted audiences in our theatres during a very difficult time. I believe it is arts and creativity are more powerful than discrimination. A good film, song, or painting can bring people together from different religions, castes, and creeds. Arts will be the ultimate answer to violence and war. It may sound like a lecture but I believe in it. I am not a supremely learned man. I learnt things from life. I am not one of those people who have read a lot or watched thousands of films. I am a simple man and I believe if I learn something from my experience and if I can put my experience to serve the sector I work in or the country I live in, that is enough for me,” he said.