'I take time to liberate myself from my characters': 'Hawa' star Chanchal Chowdhury at 28th KIFF

"It takes time if we actors delve into the characters more. I always try to delve deeper. It’s a kind of madness for me.

"I take time to liberate myself from the characters I play," says Chowdhury, when he was asked about how post shooting he dissociates himself from any intense character he plays on-screen.

Hawa, which is directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, was originally in Bangladesh in Jul 2022 and was screened in Kolkata for the first time in October end.

The film captures the fishing mission of an all-men team on a fishing trawler turning murky with the discovery of Gulti, a mysterious girl played by young actor Nazifa Tushi.

Chanchal Chowdhury speaking at a press conference in Nandan | Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Speaking on how his on-screen fishing journey started, Chowdhury says, "On the first day, Sumon didn’t narrate the script to me but the practical reasons behind doing this story… I liked his approach."

"We didn’t act for the sake of the film. We all actors lived together and did rehearsals to emerge as the characters," he adds.

The film, which has an ensemble cast, was shot in the mid-sea for 45 days, an unprecedented effort or a practice, in Chowdhury’s words, seen in Bangladeshi film.

"No shooting in the middle of the sea was ever done in Bangladesh... It was very difficult to work in the film," the actor said.

The film has been sent by the Bangladesh Oscar Committee for nomination into the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 95th Academy Awards.

(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)