Superboys of Malegaon

An emotional ride entailing the power of Cinema and friendship! Superboys of Malegaon is a perfect example of what Cinema means and what it entails to make a film. It is set around a real village with a real story of a local filmmaker making fun movies with his friends. It reminded me a lot of our young age when we would pick up the mobile to shoot just for the sake of making something cool and entertaining, without a care for views and commercialism. As we get older, the reality of the situation hits and most of us either leave the creative making process altogether or join the commercial rat race to make something for the sake of making money and not something that actually connects with audience and make people excited. The film discusses this in a much more grounded and relatable way, making the realization that how money changes our perception of entertainment and relationships we made along the way. I can’t say that many films have made me tear up but this one’s ending will surely do that. The parallels are emotionally strong and the themes discusses pretty much what’s wrong with modern cinema and filmmaking. Amazing film by an amazing team! PROS: - Great grounded storytelling. - Top notch cinematography and color grading. - Emotional and strong themes. CONS: - Story is somewhat predictable. That’s it honestly. RATING: 9/10

Based on the documentary titled, Supermen of Malegaon, this movie from Reema Kagti showcases how a group of friends from the village of Malegaon turned their passion for movies into reality by shooting home movies on shoestring budgets. The group starts out with parodies of popular movies like Sholay & Shaan to deliver laughs until they release how important original scripts are. Superboys of Malegaon has one of the best castings done for a movie in recent times. I love how they brought together actors that carry a similar vibe. Adarsh Gourav (White Tiger), Shashank Arora (Made in Heaven), Vineet Kumar Singh (Chhaava), Pallav Singh (Mirzapur), Saqib Ayub (Farzi) & Anuj Singh Duhan form the core friend group with each member playing different roles: director, actor, writer, cinematographer and so on. Adarsh's Nasir is de facto leader of the group and ends up calling the shots and causes friction at times. This is the kind of role Adarsh Gourav can play in his sleep. Shashank Arora's vulnerable avatar plays out really well as he maintains utmost faith in his (selfish) friend Nasir. Vineet Kumar is having a brilliant year. He is clearly the most talented one among the cast and he owns it. The female leads played by Manjiri Pupala & Muskkaan Jaferi are well written and have important roles to play. Superboys of Malegaon is an important film about filmmaking. It is proof that you just need a camera, an idea and a group that trusts you to film a movie. The passion for filmmaking is what matters and Reema Kagti's adaptation is a testament to that. Superboys of Malegaon should be on your watchlist. I am shocked at how the number of shows have reduced in week 2. The audience should learn to appreciate good movies instead of complaining about the lack of it. And before signing off, a special call out for the background score; it draws you into the lives of the citizens of Malegaon from the opening scene.