A pulsating mysterious drama in the middle of the sea – Beyond Bollywood

Writer-director Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Bangladeshi film is truly a work of artistic seamanship.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 / 5)

Land and water aren’t meant to meet. Men encroach, exploit the seas at will. The latter only crosses its limits during the odd catastrophe. Land, water or air, the balance of nature is usually tilted in favour of mankind. However, if men are drawn into the depths of the sea, then this is a battle that only nature can win. Miracles do happen but men only survive here.

Bangladeshi writer-filmmaker Mejbaur Rahman Sumon adds an element of mystery, mythology in his deep sea revenge Hawa [2022]. The sea is largely calm but the raging storm within the fishing trawler leads to mayhem.

Chaan Majhi [Chanchal Chowdhury], a dubious fisherman from Bangladesh’s famous Cox’s Bazar leads a bunch of men into the clear waters of Bay of Bengal hoping to catch some fine fish.  He is the captain of the trawler. A cunning guy who isn’t shy to do some murky business. Iba [Sariful Razz], the engine mechanic, warns of consequences if Chaan tries to share the spoils unevenly. Chaan must get rid of Iba if he and his corrupt fisherfolk want to succeed in their nefarious designs. After an initial fine catch, the men are stunned to find a dead woman in their net. They are amazed that how this lady ended up in the middle of the sea. They are left shell-shocked after the mysterious dead woman comes back to life.

A woman onboard a ship, especially a fishing trawler is deemed bad luck. Haven’t we heard that line before? That was in 18^th century in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  We can’t claim to know the fisherfolks well in our region, but usually it is believed that men go fishing, while the women sell the catch in the market.

After being enamoured by the mysterious, mute gorgeous woman initially, Chaan begins to despise after she rebuffed his advances. The captain now wants to get rid of both Iba and the saree-clad mysterious woman.  As it turns out, she does speak, but only to the noble soul Iba. Gulti [Nazifa Tushi] leaves Iba stunned with her story, with the man wondering is this fact or some mythology. The storm does arrive, but it’s the internal storm that wreaks havoc on Chaan’s boat.

One is mesmerized and intrigued in equal breath. Who really is this lady? Is she evil? Has she brought a curse onboard this ill-fated trawler?  Gulti’s story adds a find layer of mystery, mythology to Somon’s film. Go beyond the plotline, and there perhaps is a nature-strikes-back undertone to Hawa. (It’s often on the odd occasion though). Somon, though, shows great seamanship in this middle of the sea, mystery drama.

Nazifa Tushi is enchanting as the sari-clad Gulti. The name itself translates to catapult. The poor lady is accused of bringing misfortune. The mere sight of a woman caught in a fishing net in the middle of the sea is captivating. Once she opens her eyes, she is like this seductive desi mermaid. Be nice to her, she is warm as the sea. Look upon her as a prey, and Gulti has a raging storm in her eyes. For all the myth around her, you don’t really see Gulti when chaos engulfs Chaan’s trawler.  Somon shows great sensitivity as flaunting the fangs would have justified Chaan’s lies of sorcery. The snake charmer’s daughter does show up at the fag end of the journey, but it’s quickly followed by mourning. Tushi charms you as this mysterious beauty. Without being provocative, Tushi attracts you to Gulti.  Once she casts her spell, you even embrace her rage.

Sariful Razz is convincing as the righteous mechanic Iba.  His body perhaps emits the odor of the engine room, but his deep eyes are full of integrity.

Watching Gulti among 10 men on a trawler is like leaving a lamb among wolves. Iba is noble, but Chaan and his cronies are untrustworthy. Chanchal Chowdhury regales in his cunning, lecherous avatar. Chaan, Nagu [Nasir Uddin Khan] reek of seaweed, but it’s the stench within that makes you fear these men. More than Gulti, it is Chaan who is truly intimidating. If it is about survival, he even roasts his bird.  Khan is gullible to begin with. His impetuosity eventually gets the better of him. Both Chowdhury and Khan are flawless in their acts.

Despite their black hearts, Chaan and Nagu still give you a sense of the rough life at sea for fisherfolks. The ever rising human population, the demand for fish, competition compels men like Chaan to cross the limits of fishing.

Hawa’s novel plot is made more engaging through its immersive, breathtaking cinematography and top-notch production design. The turquoise sea serves as a great canvas, with Chaan’s boat drifting over it like a relentless brush. Somon’s characters, their color, costume, the horizon all combine to give a unique visual experience. The background music is limited but effective. The director even adds a dash of culture with Emon Chowdhury and Rashed Sharif Shoaib’s fine folksy number playing to chorus, sounds of matkas and other beat-able objects on the deck.

The late Irrfan Khan’s Doob [2017] was the first Bangladeshi film that we ever watched. We were lost into its world of tender relationships, quaint environment. Hawa [2022] truly comes across like a breath of fresh air. It might have missed the boat at the Oscars, but Hawa has surely paddled Bangladeshi cinema into the global cinematic ocean.

Hawa is currently streaming on Sony Liv. It’s available in dubbed Hindi version too. Reliance Entertainment is one of the distributors of the Bangladeshi film. Watch the trailer below.