Nasir Sheikh, Sholay of Malegaon and Man behind Superman of Malegaon, on Superboy of Malegaon: ‘I was offered a big film, but I never intended to go to Mumbai’ – Ananya | Hindi Movie News – The Times of India

Reema Kagti as a film Superboy of MalegaonRitesh Siddhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, and built by Reema Kagti, hit theaters on February 28, Nasir Sheikh -Film behind the filmmaker Sholay of Malegaon And Superman of MalegaonOn which the film is based – which is fully reflected on his film making journey in an interview with ETIMES. He shared how the passion gave up his dream despite limited resources.
“This story is important because we did not have the necessary resources to make a film. The passion was the only thing we had,” Sheikh told Atimes. “I used to run a video parlor and show films like Rambo, Jackie Chan films and Charlie Chaplin films. I felt that I should also make a film. I got a VHS camera and started shooting for weddings.”
“I used to cut three hours of films for two hours, and thus I learned editing. Earlier, I was involved in the drama, which made me realize that we could perform. Also before my film, a film was made in Malegaon with a budget of Rs 10,000. My film was prepared with Rs 50,000.
“I did not have a trolley, so I used a bicycle. I saw the crane was used a lot in films, so we used a bull cart as a crane. When we made Sholay, we did not have a budget for horses, so we used a bus instead of a train.
“I aims to make a film for the people of Malegaon, so its title was Malegaon’s Sholay. I was nervous about how people would react to it and will my film be appreciated. But the day I displayed it in my video parlor, it ran a houseful for two months.

Sheikh recalled how industry figures focus on 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 an opportunity to make Malegaon’s Superman. Deepti Bhattnagar gave me an opportunity with Chintu of TV serial Malegaon.”
His visit attracted the attention of filmmaker Zoya Akhtar. “I met Zoya Akhtar at a film festival, where she told me that she wanted to make a film on my life. She asked me about her experiences and said that she would call me after returning to Mumbai. I started collecting my photo albums, old videos, newspaper clippers, etc.
Despite Mumbai’s proposals, Sheikh chose to live in Malegaon. “I never intended to go to Mumbai because I heard stories of struggle from those who were there. I wanted to make films under the brand of Malegaon – films made by the people of Malegaon. In a documentary, I also said that I did not want to go to Mumbai. They do not get work.

However, cultural barriers made challenges. “Malegaon has a conservative Islamic culture, and women stay away from participating in songs and dances. Therefore, I had to bring girls traveling to orchestra or drama companies to act in my films.”
Sheikh credited the support of the Malegaon community for the ability to continue filmmaking. “Hindus and Muslims work together here. When we need places, people vacated their homes and allowed us to shoot.”
While reflecting his journey, he said, “It looks like a dream, seeing my story on screen.”

Now, producer Sunil Bohra is set to re-release Malegaon’s Superman with updated grading, re-aditing and a new song. The film holds a deep emotional significance as its lead actor, Shafiq SheikhCancer died in 2011.