A modern fairytale with a touch of mythology, "Hawa" has taken the country by storm, with its mysterious trailer and mesmerising songs. Yesterday, the promotional activities of "Hawa" reached Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the form of a press conference, followed by a concert.

The event was graced by the cast of the movie, including the likes of Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Nasir Uddin Khan, Sumon Anowar, Shohel Mondol, Rizvi Rizu and many more. Also present, as part of the promotions, were musicians Tanzir Tuhin, Emon Chowdhury and Meghdol.

Shohel Mondol, who plays the peculiar character of Urkes in the film, told The Daily Star, "45 days in the deep sea, we had to overcome numerous obstacles in terms of budget limitations, restrictions and a lack of stuntmen. However, putting together this project has been a big life lesson for me."

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Chanchal Chowdhury refused to spill the beans on the story of "Hawa". Instead, the actor expressed his joy about promoting the film. "These promotional activities put me in the most festive mood. It almost feels like Eid or Durga Puja. Now that I'm all grown up, these moments are all that I have," said the actor.

"The current generation will be the future leaders of tomorrow. That is why it is important for us to preserve our cultural attachments through movies. This is why we are going to different universities and promoting our film," he added.

While Mejbaur Rahman Shumon shared a story about how one of their boats sank during the early days of shooting, Chanchal Chowdhury shared how he would unconsciously gorge on 15-20 betel leaves daily while donning the character of Chaan Manjhi.

Nazifa Tushi's character, Gulti, leaves a mysterious trail, as she is the sole female character amongst the otherwise all-male cast. "Working on 'Hawa' has almost been like receiving schooling. It is the first project where I truly got the opportunity to prove myself," said Tushi during the press conference.

The film's producer, Anjan Chowdhury Pintu, announced that this would be the last press conference before the release of "Hawa". The hype surrounding the film has taken everyone aback, and tickets for July 29 and July 30 are already booked, according to Pintu.

After the press conference ended, the concert that students were eagerly awaiting started. BUET's cafeteria was soon filled with the symphonies and tunes that have created such hype around the movie. The audience got a performance of "Shada Shadha Kala Kala", followed by Chanchal Chowdhury introducing an unreleased track for the movie: "8ta baje deri korish na".  

Finally, Meghdol took to the stage, along with Mejbaur Rahman Shumon, and swept everyone off their feet with the iconic title track "E Hawa".

The entire programme was organised by BUET Film Society, which has played a big role in promoting the film on social media. "Hawa" releases on July 29.