Shaukh paal ke kya karega, Malegaon mein tu marega.’
This innocuous line sung rambunctiously by two childhood friends on a bike ride is both about ambition and the realisation of the futility of it, destined as they are to live within the borders of Malegaon, the small town they were born in and will probably die in. And yet, it is these two boys — along with a few pals, all of who share a common love for cinema — that have gone on to put Malegaon on the map.
Superboys of Malegaon revolves around this motley crew. A charming, slice-of-life film about ordinary men doing extraordinary things, this Reema Kagti directorial written by Varun Grover is a potent, layered example of storytelling, one which strikes a chord immediately, even if you know very little of the world the film is set in.
Malegaon, an unassuming town close to Nashik in Maharashtra, has made it to the news for a variety of reasons. There were the Malegaon blasts close to two decades ago that claimed many lives. Five years ago, Malegaon incubated itself in such a way that very few lives were lost in the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting other administrations to attempt and replicate its model.
But the oldest and most sustained reason for Malegaon’s almost top-of-mind recall in the pantheon of pop-culture is courtesy its modest but self-sufficient movie-making industry, propelled by the indomitable spirit of Nasir Shaikh. Nasir’s story was first spotlighted by Faiza Ahmad Khan’s Supermen of Malegaon, a much-feted documentary that came out more than a dozen years ago. That sparked conversations, chief among them being that passion can override almost every hurdle, including socio-economic barriers and limited resources.
In Superboys of Malegaon, Nasir is played by Adarsh Gourav. The young actor, who broke out with The White Tiger a few years ago, plays a flawed protagonist here too. Living in Malegaon in the ’90s, Nasir — quick on his feet and sharp in his ability to turn around any situation to suit himself — pours his passion for cinema into playing Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin films at the local cinema — a ramshackle video parlour at best — owned by his elder brother. With footfalls dwindling, Nasir hits upon the idea of splicing and fusing together Keaton and Chaplin with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The genius move draws in crowds but also charges of piracy and Nasir swears to never go down that path again. Instead, he decides to make his own film. Right in Malegaon itself.
Aiding him in this outrageous exercise is his loyal friend Shafique (Shashank Arora), aspiring writer Farogh (Vineet Kumar Singh), who happens to be the most idealistic member of the bunch, Akram (Anuj Singh Duhan), Irfan (Saqib Ayub) and Aleem (Pallav Singh). Their collaboration, using minimal resources — what we best know as jugaad — produces Malegaon Ke Sholay and a series of other spoofs, which the inhabitants of the town — getting to see their own, and even themselves, on screen — lap up.
Kagti, aided by Grover’s cracking script and biting one-liners, fashions a film which works on many levels. Superboys of Malegaon is, at once, an underdog story, a tale about lasting friendships, an account of the impact of moving images on screen to change lives and perspectives, the burning desire to punch above one’s weight and prove one’s worth and a look at the power of dreams.
Superboys of Malegaon, which scores with both its subtle wit and intense emotions — the laughs and tears, especially in the penultimate moments, are evoked almost simultaneously — has a genuine, throbbing heart. It is a charming crowd-pleaser, winning us over in showing this ragtag group of fledgling filmmakers and the friendships they formed to make their seemingly unachievable Bollywood dreams come true.
Grover, known for his ability to be authentic and honest, combines fact and fiction seamlessly, imbuing each of his characters with flesh-and-blood characteristics... if there is compassion, there is also hubris; intense passion is balanced with occasional hopelessness. The love for cinema, however, is unshakeable. And when Farogh, brilliantly essayed by Vineet, screams out: “Yaad rakh Nasir, writer baap hota hain”, it becomes Grover’s sucker-punch in the gut of an industry which, as a whole, still doesn’t give its writers their due. Along with Vineet, Adarsh and Shashank are a class act in their challenging roles, and so are the side players, especially Manjiri Pupala as Trupti.
“Buster Keaton paagal nahin tha, duniya thi,” says a character, sometime in the middle of the film. Keaton, one of the greatest actors of the silent era, conveyed so much by saying nothing. A lot like Superboys of Malegaon. Silent yet screaming.
