Passion – a strong feeling of enthusiasm that motivates us to chase after our dreams. Even though one may not always be granted the opportunity to follow their aspirations, their unending love towards it never changes.
A reflection of such an appreciation towards films can be found in Faiza Ahmad Khan’s documentary, “Supermen of Malegaon”. Chronicling the lives of Malegaon’s residents whose fervor for films have led to a homegrown tinsel town in which the stars can roam the streets without the hassle of being mobbed.
Churning out remakes of various Bollywood and Hollywood films, Mollywood, as it’s dubbed by the local inhabitants, adds its own indigenous characteristics that make the film more relatable to the masses viewing it.
Whilst serving as an Assistant Director on Anwar, Faiza came across a film directed by the town’s self-taught director Nasir Sheikh called “Malegaon ka Tana Bana” which focused on communal harmony. Soon developing an interest in the subject she started to read up on it. After brainstorming on the ways they would want to approach the film, funds started pouring in from three public broadcasters of Singapore, Japan, and Korea thus giving this commissioned project wings.
Faiza aspired to be a photojournalist but joined an ad production house as an intern. The disillusionment she came across while working on Anwar soon after nudged her towards her curiosity for documentaries. Her attraction towards this town, nestled in the Nashik District, piqued as she realized that the locally produced films were a result of the people’s zeal and adoration towards cinema.
A telephonic conversation with Nasir sealed the deal as Faiza and her crew made their way to Malegaon which would be their home for the next 3 months. Shooting there was not an easy task and came with its own set of challenges. Initially, any concerns that cropped up were addressed to the cameraman instead of Faiza. Being a male-oriented industry with not enough women representation in the workforce, the residents were taken aback when they realized who was helming the project. Nevertheless, they looked out for her and made her feel welcomed.
The residents would film bits and pieces of their caricaturist film whenever time permitted them to, a luxury Faiza and her crewmates could not afford as they had a deadline to meet. They requested Nasir to rush through his schedule which may have hampered the quality he wanted to deliver.
Being familiar in front of the camera, the arrival of another set of lenses to capture what their town offered did not faze the residents of Malegaon but were puzzled when their stay prolonged any other crew’s. The approach towards this documentary through the fly on the wall method turned into a more cohesive and harmonious experience as the filming crew was made a part of numerous events during their stay.
A novice in her field with no prior training Faiza did her best navigating through the process and had her excellent FTII crew to fall back on. Expressing admiration for Nasir’s style of directing she did learn a lot by watching him paddle his way through the making of his remake and even sat down to watch his cinematic influences. Shot-by-shot breakdowns acted as a guiding route for his satire with his method of filming only necessary portions eased the workload during the editing process. However, this precariously left them on the edge due to the non-availability of backups.
Finally, the documentary crew had all the recording they needed but this now paved way for another hurdle to overcome. 250 hours of footage on the editing table due to the continuous rolling of cameras intimidated Faiza but her editor, Shweta Venkat was up for the task. As all hardships bear fruit so did this laborious work undertaken by them which resulted in the final cut being ready to be presented to the producers within 1.5 months.
The documentary was heaped with praises and accolades after being screened at diverse film festivals, even securing a theatrical release. Ripples of amazement reverberated through the townspeople when they watched their lives being delved into on a far deeper level.
Malegaon, a town earlier known for being fraught with communal tension, an aspect that Faiza tried touching upon but was met with resistance and hesitation, has altered the lens through which it was once viewed. From a place synonymous with communal uprisings to one where affection for cinema now bridges the gap between the communities thereby bringing them together, the township will not be seen in the same light again.
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