New Delhi- "Superboys of Malegaon," directed by Reema Kagti and written by Varun Grover, is a heartfelt ode to the everlasting spirit of cinema. The movie is inspired by the documentary “Supermen of Malegaon” (2012) as referred to in the credits. The movie digs into the life of a group of friends who attempt to make their own films in Malegaon, a tiny village in the Maharashtra—known for its power looms but also for the tragic 2006 and 2008 bomb blasts.
Malegaon has often been in the news for reasons far removed from cinema. In the aftermath of the 2006 blast in the Muslim majority town, nine Muslim youths were arrested initially by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism squad (ATS). However, in 2011, they were granted bail when the National Investigating Agency (NIA) stated that it had no evidence against them.
On the other hand, in the 2008 blast case, ATS investigations, under the joint commissioner of police, Hemant Karkare (who was killed in the 26/11 attacks), brought to light that the blasts were a conspiracy by the right-wing Hindu groups to spread terror across the nation.
Pragya Singh Thakur, a former member of the Lok Sabha, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former ABVP activist, was the first to be arrested. The arrest included army officers, seers and an RSS pracharak as well.
The story starts in the 90s when Nasir (Adarsh Gaurav), finds it tough to save his video parlour, showcasing classics from legends like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton due to piracy. He learns to edit and starts blending the unique movie clips together, which eventually motivates him to make his own films.
With Rs 12,000, in the pocket, he moves ahead with his decision of producing a parody of Sholay called “Malegaon Ki Sholay.” For this, he asks his friends, including the persevere Shafique (Shashank Arora) and idealistic writer Farogh (Vineet Kumar Singh).
Initially, everyone denies it, but later on, everyone gets on board, with Farogh growing concerned about a matchstick advertisement, as he didn't want to include it in the film due to his principles. However, Nasir plans to go ahead with it because of the money it brought in. The film gets completed and even earns a sum of Rs 3 lakhs—making it a hit.
But, with money comes attitude and arrogance. As a result, Nasir doesn’t share the profit with his friends. Instead, he purchases a new bike and pretends as if he made the film all by himself and no contribution was made by his friends—and this makes him lose his friend Farogh—who was the first to agree to make the film.
Respect is something which is dear to everyone; the day he rejects respecting his friends—his downfall starts. As a result, after two successful parody movies, Nasir has to convert his parlour into a restaurant.
The most special thing about this film, which connects it completely to the real world, is that no attempt has been made to present any character as less or more. Also, the side characters are not just complementing the main character, but each character has their own direction and story.
That is why when Farogh shouts “Writer baap hota hai” (the writer is the boss), with this sentence echoing in the entire cinema hall, you can see the story changing through the eyes of Farogh. He then goes to Mumbai, but returns to Malegaon, after realizing that the characters in his scripts are useless for producers there—who are sitting in their AC offices—while his stories are connected to the real world.
The film ends with Shafique, a dear friend who respected Nasir a lot, getting cancer and when Nasir comes to know about this, he decides to make his first original film featuring Shafique as its hero and Farogh as its writer.
Overall, the film is light-hearted and fun, it touches on ambition, resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling. It will make you laugh and cry even more. Malegaon's life is beautifully depicted by Swapnil S. Sonawane's cinematography.
This movie is a celebration of grassroots creativity and a reminder that art can thrive even in the most unlikely places.
Friends shouldn’t be taken for granted—this should become the watchword for anyone who watches this film, and dreams can be turned into reality, with passion and hard work are two lessons that should be noted in anyone’s diary of life—if they want to keep people with them until they live.
In the times of Bollywood dying, and the South film industry taking over with films like Pushpa Series, KGF Series, etc., this film comes as a saviour. A film that is very basic in its approach displays Muslims chasing dreams and not false charges.
These days there is a dearth of good films, if any good film comes then it is based on real life. This is inspiring but the Hindi film industry should also write good fictional films, which can be watched with everyone, which are touching, inspiring, entertaining and have a great script.
Final Review: 3 out of 5 stars — A heartwarming capture that showcases the power of passion, friendship and respect. It’s a one-time watch.
- The Authors Rishab Gaur & Anchal Dewangan are independent journalists and former interns at The Caravan.
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