“Superboys of Malegaon,” directed by Reema Kagti, takes the audience on a journey following a group of enthusiastic yet humble DIY filmmakers from a rural Indian locale. The film, rooted in true events, often tries to encompass a vast scope but never strays from its core message: the fundamental need individuals have to see themselves represented in art, not only out of preference but out of an inherent necessity, in order to dignify their existence.
The narrative stretches from 1997 through the early 2010s, tracing the life of Nasir Sheikh (Adarsh Gourav), a photographer and wedding videographer from Malegaon, a small city hundreds of miles away from India’s economic and film hub, Mumbai. Nasir, alongside his brother Nihal (Gyanendra Tripathi), operates a struggling movie theater, persisting on screening classic Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin films, instead of mainstream Bollywood films. Above everything else, Nasir yearns to be a filmmaker.
Allying with friends, Nasir initiates a bare-bones budget "Sholay" parody, a renowned Bollywood film, integrating local humor and culture. The latter half of the film sees the unexpected rise of Nasir's loyal best friend Shafique (Shashank Arora), overshadowing Nasir and his screenwriter Farogh (Vineet Singh).
The film's attempt to encapsulate all significant events in its characters’ lives renders a certain awkwardness in its construction. However, it successfully portrays its characters as Muslims at a time marked by widespread cinematic propaganda against Indian Muslims, providing a strong affirmative undertone.
By adding context to each decision leading up to the parody, Varun Grover's screenplay lends a profound and heartbreaking nuance to the documentary, adding a spiritual dimension to the film’s narrative about the power of cinema.
Despite its rapid resolution, the sentiment of the drama remains compelling, the movie maintaining a realistic ambiance through the performances of its relatively unknown cast. The film artistically balances between the melodrama of Bollywood and the realism of India’s independent cinema, making the characters' conflicts feel genuine.
The movie brings a witty meta element into play and gives a nod to the industry family the Akhtar. Its story offers a moving homage to the art of filmmaking, overcoming its uneven structure via the potency of Kagti's powerful intimate scenes.
“Superboys of Malegaon” embodies more than just another film; it symbolizes the power of cinema to create a unique form of communal emotion, justifying the timeless appeal of going to a movie theatre.
