While Bollywood unquestionably dominates the popular imagination when it comes to Indian cinema, the subcontinent is home to a rich tapestry of cinematic traditions largely unknown outside its borders. Shining a much-deserved light into one tiny corner of that cinematic universe, director Reema Kagti and producer Zoya Akhtar put the delightfully quirky Mollywood on the map with their latest offering, Superboys of Malegaon. Based on the true story of intrepid filmmaker Nasir Shaikh, this uplifting tale about the joys of filmmaking and the enduring bonds of friendship premieres this month at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Taking place over the course of about ten years, Superboys of Malegaon charts Nasir’s rise from struggling wedding videographer to regional filmmaking sensation as he and his friends build the Malegaon film industry (now colloquially known as Mollywood) from the ground up. We first meet Nasir (Adarsh Gourav) in 1997, struggling to drum up an audience for his brother’s failing video parlour. Finding inspiration in a set of crudely edited tapes he finds at the local market, he quickly assembles a set of crowd-pleasing mashups featuring the likes of Buster Keaton and Bruce Lee, which prove wildly popular among the film lovers of Malegaon. Unfortunately, they also attract the attention of the local police, who raid the parlour and charge Nasir and his brother with piracy, sending him right back to square one.
Emboldened by the popularity of those hastily produced mashups, Nasir is inspired to bring a bit of Mumbai to Malegaon by producing an original film of their very own. The energetic young filmmaker gets right to work, enlisting his friends (and the local townspeople) as cast and crew. Fueled by the sheer joy of filmmaking, and with scant financial resources at their disposal, the boys are forced to beg for favours and improvise creative solutions in order to make their dream a reality. These scenes – showcasing the creativity, ingenuity, and collaborative spirit at the core of independent film – form the heart and soul of the story, and are a joy to watch.
The end result of their efforts, a quirky spoof of the popular action-adventure film Sholay, is a smashing success. Before they know it, the parlour is booked solid, and showings of Malegaon ke Sholay start selling out across Malegaon. High on their success, the group throws themselves into new projects, but in woefully predictable fashion, Nasir’s ego gets the better of him. Taking his valued friends (and creative collaborators) for granted, he begins treating them so poorly that one by one, they abandon him. His most heartbreaking betrayal is reserved for the unfailingly loyal Shafique (Shashank Arora, stealing scenes left and right), who waits years for Nasir to take a chance on him, only to find his breakthrough role unceremoniously cut to shreds on the night of his big premiere.
When we catch up with Nasir a few years later, the public has lost interest in his films, and his brother has been forced to turn the video parlour into a restaurant. Without the support of his friends, he seems to have abandoned his filmmaking dreams completely, until he learns that Shafique has fallen gravely ill. The friends gather at his side, but not all of them are so quick to forgive and forget. When Shafique’s treatments fail, Nasir is determined to make things right and give his friend the triumphant star turn he deserved so many years before. Banding together around their beloved friend, the group reunites to lift Shafique up as their very own Malegaon Superman, winning our hearts as he saves the day … one ramshackle green screen at a time. When Shafique (the beating heart of this film) arrives at his premiere to a standing ovation from the crowd, it’s hard not to stand up and cheer along with them. In the film’s final moments, the camera pans across the wondrous faces in the audience and lands on Shafique, gazing joyfully at the screen. His friends have eyes only for him, basking in their friend’s happiness but heartbroken at the fate that awaits him.
Superboys of Malegaon makes its World Premiere in the Gala Presentations programme at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
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