“Superboys of Malegaon” Review

Though based on Indian movie history, there’s a universal appeal to the ambitions of Superboys of Malegaon. Few outside the country may be familiar with the classic Sholay, but everybody can understand the desire to make their own film. The do-it-yourself mindset of scrappy filmmakers is usually a compelling aspect to highlight, from the cobbling of funds in American Movie to the cheap charms of Be Kind Rewind. While this true story may reserve itself for the safe route of an emotional epic, it still hits many right notes well, albeit familiar in tone.

It’s easy to root for the aspiring filmmaker Nasir Shaikh (Adarsh Gourav), who is trying to find his passion and pennies in the town of Malegaon. He helps run a movie house in town, but it’s not doing so well with its favoring of the classics. There needs to be some new life in the cinema. One idea Nasir forms is developing smash cuts of various films, forcing him to learn the editing process. While initially a hit, the tampering of movies gets the theater roughed up by authorities. Despite this setback, the seed was planted for Nasir; he wanted to make a film right in his hometown.

Nasir soon learns all the problems that arise with making a film. There’s funding, auditions, casting, rehearsing, flubbed takes, and managing schedules. The movie thankfully never rests too long on the minutiae of the process and more on the emotional drive. There’s comradery with how Nasir assembles his group of friends to make movie history with Malegaon’s first local film. While initially enthused about this development, they all have creative and personal issues that arise from this new career path. This includes clashes with the script through the writer Farogh (Vineet Kumar Singh) and the longing of Shafique (Shashank Arora) to be in front of the camera rather than behind it. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but the picture gives the foursome of friends enough time to breathe and feel for their many plights ranging from health to romance.

The focus on character makes the many expected moments of the filmmaking process more charming than standard. There’s that glorious moment where the ensemble’s first production, a parody of Sholay, debuts in the local theater and they’re nervous about the audience. They’re so anxious that they wait outside the theater together, preparing for the results. It’s a feeling that any creative can relate to with that desire to stand back in hiding as your work speaks for itself, hoping that you didn’t screw up. As time progresses, they better embrace the audience for that touching moment where they watch the illuminated faces staring in awe. Superboys of Malegaon isn’t the first film to highlight this wonderous moment of the theater experience, but it’s the first time for these aspiring Indian filmmakers. And it never gets old, showing as much respect for this classic trope as the characters do for the works of Buster Keaton and Bruce Lee.

For spanning from the 1990s to the 2010s, there’s so much to cover, and not all of it resonates as well. Aspects of arranged marriages and a cancer diagnosis are reduced in a manner that is understandable for the running time but still slightly disappointing for the reduction. The good news is that areas better explored are still compelling. Watching Shafique finally get his moment to shine on the big screen is bittersweet as his last wish to accomplish something grand before cancer claims him. The debate over creative differences is also explored enough to make a great case for how even the scrappiest of filmmakers not bound by corporate orders fight a bigger battle. The docudrama essentially makes an argument for its own existence when Nasir is told that comedy is more compelling than drama. Nasir is a big enough lover of film to cite a blockbuster drama and make the confident statement that good movies will attract a crowd, regardless of the tone. Sure, bombastic Bollywood films are fun, but only if there is a genuine heart behind it instead of commercial kowtowing. It’s why there’s not much shock when Nasir’s more heartfelt movies end up being his best, as a superhero tale ends up being more touching than typical.

Superboys of Malegaon plays to the emotional and inspirational beats of scrappy filmmaking. It might seem like an easy film to make, considering somebody viewed the documentary of the same title and likely remarked, “Hey, THAT could be a great drama!” It might not be the best in the films-about-filmmaking genre for how it runs close to melodrama with personal struggles laced with exuberant joy and gentle softness, but the filmmaking frustrations and celebrations carry this picture where it matters most. The passion present makes this a light yet inspirational addition to the stack of films built to inspire young filmmakers to pick a camera and start shooting. It never hurts to have more movies like this, especially from different cultures and backgrounds, to reinforce that filmmaking is not a geographical profession. If some boys from Malegaon could do it with all the problems in their lives, perhaps you could as well.