Supermen of Malegaon is a Hindi documentary written and directed by Faiza Ahmad Khan. It was released in the theatres on 29 July 2012. This film is essentially a BTS of the film Malegaon ka Superman which is a parody of the world-famous Superman. This film tells you a story about passion and how you don’t really need a budget to pursue your passion. Unless of course, you want to learn cello. Now that’s bloody expensive.
The film is based in the city of Malegaon. In this textile hub of Maharashtra, there is a divide of the two major religions in India that never seem to reconcile. But when it comes to fondness over a cinema, the divide seems to vanish. The story is about Naseer Shaikh, a resident of Malegaon with a burning passion for cinema which pushes him into making film making. He talks about Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights and how ageless it is for the simple reason that it makes you laugh. Shaikh goes on to make Malegaon ka Sholay and many more. The city is teeming with film enthusiasts, so much so that they even have their own version of Bollywood, Mollywood. Faiza follows Shaikh as he shoots Malegaon ka Superhero. Shaikh talks about how he used to think that a film was made only by a single individual, because how can others understand the vision a person has of something in his mind? Shaikh has quite an unusual lot as crew, a writer who believes that writing is the toughest job on the planet, an editor who edits everything and anything and also decides to shave his head and step in for the villain as well, whose iconic ‘I like filth’ dialogue is quite something and of course, Shafeeque, the daintiest lad in the area plays as the Superman.
This documentary film is very subtly laden with themes. One of the prominent themes is passion and the willingness to chase after that passion. Everyone who is a part of this documentary is deeply passionate about something, be it cinema, acting, editing or even filming a documentary. Poverty is yet another theme present throughout the film. These people have incredibly strong ambitions but every time they attempt to take step toward them, they are reminded of the lack of money which forces them to take a step backward. One of the reasons Shaikh tells his brother to not go down his path is the fact that hobbies don’t run households. But despite all of this, if you’re passionate enough you’ll probably end up finding your way towards what you want. Although not exactly a theme, ‘A conversation with Moon’ definitely deserves a mention. This poem perfectly encapsulates stories of the people in Malegaon who never quite manage to get out of the lives they were born into. And last but not least, perseverance, which drives them to actually finish making the film. These supermen of Malegaon didn’t exactly have an ideal state which catered to their adored but taxing hobbies. Rather it might as well have been the most unideal and unfortunate state for going after something like filmmaking. But not once did it stop any of them from doing what they loved and lived for. And that’s one of the traits which makes this documentary so special.
The cinematography of this film is quite peculiar. The film starts with the rickety sound of power looms and people’s hustle and bustle as they crowd around the theatre. When the camera isn’t following the Sheikh and his team it’s following the people of the city. The handheld camera shots made the film even more personal, almost as if you were right there, watching everything unfold. The music in the film fit so effortlessly making it seem as though it were a part of the lives of the people in the frame.
Now, things to take away from this film; chase your ambitions, how to create makeshift stunt equipment, don’t keep your contact lenses in a bucket and lastly, you don’t need a superman with muscles in your film for it to be a hit.