There’s just something that always grabs me with movies about making movies. Seeing a ragtag group of dreamers put in the hard work and creativity it takes to make a film connects with me on such a deep level. That was certainly the case for Superboys of Malegaon, a new Hindi film from director Reema Kagti that just hit Prime Video.

This story, inspired by the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon, is about a group of friends who love cinema and create their own films with the aim of making something that connects with their community.

Adarsh Gourav is Nasir, a Buster Keaton fan who works at a movie theater and dreams of directing a film of his own. His best friend, Shafique (Shashank Arora) is a loom worker who always wanted to be an actor and hopes to star in his friend’s movie.

They enlist the services of a broke writer named Farogh (Vineet Kumar Singh) who looks down on commercial cinema and aspires to make true art. Friends Akram (Anuj Singh Duhan) and Irfan (Saqib Ayub) as well as local performer Trupti (Manjiri Pupala) join the production, and pretty soon they’re ready to begin shooting.

Despite Farogh’s preference that they create a drama about a local man fighting against injustice from a big tobacco company, Nasir insists that what the community really wants is fun, an escape from their lives, so they opt to make a parody of Sholay with a local twist. He promises that they’ll do Farogh’s idea next time.

Sure enough, when they finally screen the film, it’s a hit, generating great word of mouth and ticket sales. The community flocks to the theater to see the movie, and Nasir starts to gain notoriety.

The sudden inflow of cash and attention starts to go to his head, and the rest of the group gets frustrated when Nasir seems to be getting all the credit—and the cash. Soon, things start to fracture, the gang splits up, and everyone tries to find happiness on their own, though they achieve little success.

A devastating diagnosis brings them all together again for one more film, this time fusing Farogh’s idea with a locally focused parody of Superman: The Movie.

As a lover of cinema, movies about a plucky group of outsiders coming together to make a film always seem to burrow right into my heart. Film is a collaborative art form. Every role on the cast and crew is important in creating the final movie, and watching a group of passionate people unite around a vision can make for a very inspiring story. It was the case with 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name, and it was certainly what hooked so many people with Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. 

Likewise, with Superboys of Malegaon, the collaboration, creativity, and community of the story are the elements that deeply connect with viewers. The relationships shared by the group, the innovative solutions to filmmaking constraints, and the way the town of Malegaon embraces the film are so uplifting and heartwarming. 

A sequence near the end of the film had me reaching for the Kleenex because I’d been so locked in with the journey of these characters and so invested in their friendships. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I heard myself sniffle! 

If you’re a movie lover, don’t miss out on this beautiful story!