Superboys of Malegaon, directed by Reema Kagti, arrived in the theatres today (February 28). Featuring Adarsh Gourav, Shashank Arora, Vineet Kumar Singh and Muskkaan Jaferi, the comedy drama is inspired by the life of filmmaker Nasir Shaikh and his best friend, late actor Shafique Shaikh.
Now, Farhan Akhtar, who produced the film alongside Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Ritesh Sidhwani, has opened up about the time he met the real-life “Malegaon boys” in 2009. The filmmaker dropped a throwback post on Instagram, reminiscing the long journey.
The opening frame captures Farhan Akhtar and Nasir Shaikh posing for the lens. Zoya Akhtar also makes an appearance. Not to miss ‘Malegaon Ka Superrman' star Shafique Shaikh. The actor died in 2011 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 25.
Next, we see Farhan Akhtar and Shafique Shaikh trying to strike the OG superman pose. For context, the super-cool gesture featured in the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon. Yes, Superboys of Malegaon is loosely based on this popular documentary.
Farhan Akhtar's emotional side note read, “As ‘Superboys of Malegaon' releases today in theatres, couldn't help but look back to the time our paths crossed with the OG Malegaon boys, Nasir and Shafique, in the year 2009. It was at the Osian film festival, Delhi and it was here that the seed of what has grown to become the film was planted.”
On a concluding note, Farhan Akhtar added, “It has been a long journey and one can only be grateful to all the people who provided sunshine and rain to make it possible.”
Superboys of Malegaon revolves around a group of ordinary boys with big dreams. But after an unexpected event transforms their life, the boys embark on a journey of greatness. The film explores themes of friendship, team spirit and the power of imagination.
Adarsh Gourav plays the titular character of Nasir Shaikh while Shashank Arora portrays his friend Shafique Shaikh. Previously, Adarsh spoke about his experience of working in the film. Read all about it here.
Superboys of Malegaon premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.
