SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
(The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran September 5-15 and HtN has you covered once again. Check out Chris Reed’s Superboys of Malegaon movie review. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Based on real-life events previously profiled in the documentary Supermen of Malegaon (theatrically released in 2012), the new narrative film Superboys of Malegaon, from director Reema Kagti (Gold), takes place in the titular city, located in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Though it is a sizable metropolis, its residents harbor—at least as presented here—a major inferiority complex vis-à-vis their much larger neighbor to the southwest, Mumbai. Don’t let that stop them, though, as nothing inspires quite like envy.
Early on, we meet a group whose life centers around the movies in some way. One of them, Nasir Shaikh (Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger), works at the video parlor owned by his older brother. Unlike their competitors, they tend to show works by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, since Nasir is a bit of a cinephile. But that’s not a great business strategy, and so when Nasir discovers that he can pull in larger audiences by editing blockbuster movies down to just their action sequences, he throws himself fully into the new pastime.
Unfortunately, such activities happen to be illegal, and so he is forced to stop. Not to be deterred, Nasir pivots to making films of his own, talking his friends—played by Shashank Arora (Neeyat), Anuj Singh Duhan (Pippa), and Vineet Kumar Singh (Tryst with Destiny), among others—into helping out. With extremely limited funds and using borrowed equipment, they get to work. And what about a script? Just copy the popular 1975 Bollywood movie Sholay but set it in Malegaon …
As with all treatments of micro-budget filmmaking, there is a lot of comedy. Director Kagti keeps the mayhem moving along quickly, offering jokes and drama both, but with the emphasis more on the former, at least at first. Soon, as Nasir’s star rises and he repeats the creative formula over and over, he grows arrogant, causing friction between a once-closeknit bunch. At that point, the film tilts more towards the dramatic.
Though 127 minutes is comparatively short for many films out of India, there are parts of Superboys of Malegaon that nevertheless drag, most of them in the scenes where Nasir’s fortunes turn sour and he must learn hard lessons about friendship and kindness. There is also an entire section related to his marriage that paradoxically feels underdeveloped. But then we get to the finale, where much of this is redeemed.
That’s when the magic of the story, and of cinematic creativity, soar once more. A heretofore neglected character has a chance to shine, and his triumph elevates everything else. It’s a lovely way to end, made even more beautiful by a credit sequence featuring the actual people portrayed. They may be as human as are you and I, but for a brief moment, thanks to Superboys of Malegaon, they are super, indeed.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
Toronto International Film Festival; Superboys of Malegaon; Reema Kagti
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