Bondhushava Hosts Special Screening of The University of Chankharpul

Dhaka : The University of Chankharpul, a feature film by young filmmaker Akash Haque portraying the realities of university common rooms and student politics, was featured in a special screening organised by Prothom Alo Bondhushava on Thursday (30 July). The screening took place at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, where nearly 150 members from the Bondhushava National Committee, Dhaka Metropolitan and various Bondhushava chapters attended the event.

Among those present were director Akash Haque, executive producer Hafizuddin Munna, actors Debadyuti Aich and Rocky Khan, writer Rono Anowar, along with other members of the film’s cast and crew. Also in attendance was Ershadul Huq Tinku, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Activation & PR Communications at Cool Exposure.

Speaking at the event, Akash Haque shared that the film was the result of ten years of preparation. Principal photography lasted 50–55 days, while post-production—including editing, dubbing and other technical work—took nearly one and a half to two years before the film was released. Drawing from his own university experiences, the filmmaker said the story reflects the realities of campus life and student politics.

This year, Prothom Alo Bondhushava has been organising a series of film screenings and review competitions to encourage audiences to engage with Bangladeshi cinema. Previous screenings included Saba, Chakra-2, and Dom, followed by the screening of The University of Chankharpul.

Speaking on the occasion, Bondhushava National Committee President Jafar Sadiq said,

“We want more people to watch Bangla content and encourage audiences to support Bangladeshi films. This will inspire filmmakers and producers to create more quality content. Through Bondhushava, we aim to promote Bengali culture and Bangla cinema among a wider audience.”

He also thanked the entire film team for bringing such an important and meaningful story to the screen.

The screening was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session, during which audience members shared their impressions and discussed the film’s performances, screenplay, production process and the inspiration behind the story with the director, producer and actors.

Executive Producer Hafizuddin Munna said,

“We are truly honoured to be here. We want as many people as possible to experience this film. We hope this journey continues to reach wider audiences through Bondhushava. We are sincerely grateful to Prothom Alo and Bondhushava for supporting us from the very beginning of this project.”

Also present at the event were Bondhushava National Committee Adviser Mahbub Parvez, General Secretary Saimum Mousumi Brishti, Vice President Nur-E-Alam, and Information & Communications Secretary Mahafuzar Rahman.

Following the screening, the winners of the Dom Film Review Competition were announced. The winners are Taiyyeba Taskin, Sudipta Kumar Das, Faiza Islam, Nusrat Jahan, Samantha Siddique, Palash Saha, Farzana Yasmin, Faisal Ahmed, Md. Sumon, and Amit Banik.

The University of Chankharpul premiered on 16 January at the 24th Dhaka International Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award in the Bangladesh Panorama Section. It was later screened at the Amar Bhashar Chalachitra Festival, receiving the Hiralal Sen Award, before its commercial release on 12 June at Star Cineplex and Lion Cinemas.

The film stars Debadyuti Aich, Rocky Khan, Bobby Biswas, Akhtaruzzaman Azad, Abu Sayed, Ifad Hasan, and Niloy Bala. In addition to directing, Akash Haque also served as the film’s producer, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer.
-PRESS RELEASE