As the Reema Kagti film Superboys of Malegaon, produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, and Reema Kagti, hits theatres on February 28, Nasir Shaikh—the filmmaker behind Malegaon Ke Sholay and Malegaon Ka Superman, on whom the film is based—recently reflected on his filmmaking journey in an interview with ETimes. He shared how passion fueled his dream despite limited resources.
“This story is important because we didn’t have the necessary resources to make a film. Passion was the only thing we had,” Shaikh told ETimes. “I used to run a video parlour and show films like Rambo, Jackie Chan movies, and Charlie Chaplin films. I felt that I should also make a film. I got a VHS camera and started shooting weddings.”
“I used to cut three-hour films down to two hours, and that’s how I learned editing. Before that, I was involved in drama, which made me realize that we could shoot performances as well. Before my film, a movie was made in Malegaon with a budget of Rs 10,000. My film was made with a budget of Rs 50,000. My brother supported me with the camera and financing. The video parlour was his own. I started with editing, and then direction happened.”
“I didn’t have a trolley, so I used a bicycle. I saw that cranes were used a lot in films, so we used a bullock cart as a crane. When we made Sholay, we didn’t have the budget for horses, so we showed the bandits arriving on bicycles. We used a bus instead of a train. Basanti became Basmati, Gabbar Singh became Rubber Singh, and we made a parody.”
“I aimed to make the film for the people of Malegaon, hence the title Malegaon Ke Sholay. I was nervous about how people would react to it and whether my film would be appreciated. But the day I screened it at my video parlour, it ran houseful for two months. I made the film for Rs 50,000, and it earned Rs 2 lakh.”
Shaikh recalled how industry figures took notice of his work. “Anurag Kashyap came to support us when we organized a special show of our film. Producer Sunil Bohra saw a documentary about our work and liked it. He gave me the chance to make Malegaon Ka Superrman. Deepti Bhatnagar gave me an opportunity with the TV serial Malegaon Ka Chintu.”
His journey even caught the attention of filmmaker Zoya Akhtar. “I met Zoya Akhtar at a film festival, where she told me she wanted to make a film on my life. She asked me about my experiences and said she’d call me after returning to Mumbai. I started collecting my photo albums, old videos, newspaper clippings, etc. She was impressed by that.”
Despite offers from Mumbai, Shaikh chose to stay in Malegaon. “I never intended to go to Mumbai because I heard stories of struggle from people who had been there. I wanted to make films under the brand of Malegaon—films made by the people of Malegaon. In a documentary, I even said that I didn’t want to go to Mumbai. I was offered a big film, but I wanted to stay true to my roots. Many artists from Malegaon go to Mumbai to become heroes, but they end up struggling because they don’t get work. My aim was to create work opportunities for them in Malegaon itself. There are talented writers, poets, singers, and musicians here, and I gave them the chance to work in my films.”
However, cultural constraints presented challenges. “There is a conservative Islamic culture in Malegaon, and women tend to stay away from participating in songs and dances. So, I had to bring in girls from traveling orchestras or drama companies to act in my films.”
Shaikh credits the support of the Malegaon community for his ability to continue filmmaking. “Hindus and Muslims work together here. When we needed locations, people vacated their houses and allowed us to shoot.”
Reflecting on his journey, he added, “It feels like a dream, seeing my story on screen.”
Now, producer Sunil Bohra is set to re-release Malegaon Ka Superman with updated grading, re-editing, and a new song. The film holds deep emotional significance, as its lead actor, Shafique Shaikh, passed away from cancer in 2011.