The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2024. It was theatrically released in India on 28 February 2025, and received positive reviews from critics.
In 1997, an aspiring filmmaker Nasir along with his friends Farogh, Shafique, Irfan, and Akram decide to make a film for their hometown, Malegaon. Farogh, as a writer, had written a storyline based on the iconic movie Sholay. They named their film Malegaon ke Sholay. The film became a huge hit, drawing people in large numbers to their movie parlour. Following this, Farogh wanted to make a film based on an original storyline but due to his differences in opinion with Nasir and their mutual disagreement to work with each other, he left the group and headed for Mumbai.
In 2004, while Nasir was known for his direction in Malegaon, the other group members were underpaid and barely known to the general public. This eventually lead to the original splitting up of the original troupe as Irfan and Akram also left the group citing that they deserve more recognition for the roles they played in Nasir's films. A series of bad decisions and his failure to make successful films forced Nasir to abandon film making and start a restaurant.
In 2010, Shafique gets diagnosed with cancer. Nasir, along with Imran and Akram contribute to pay for his treatment, but the illness resurfaced again. Nasir reunited the original group of friends to make a new film with Farogh writing the script and Shafique playing the leading role. The film was titled Superman of Malegaon and fulfilled Shafique's desire to become a well known actor. The movie ended with Shafique watching the film, bursting into tears watching himself as Superman soaring above the skies of Malegaon.
Superboys of Malegaon debuted on 13 September in the World Premieres section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Gala program.[2][8] The film was released in cinemas on 28 February 2025.[9] It was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video after its theatrical run.[10]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "A tribute to classic films while being a very good one in itself, Superboys of Malegaon is a charming dramedy that will resonate with anyone who's ever been inspired to pick up a camera."[11]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 4 stars out of 5 and said that it is “Fuelled by measured performances that blend energy with restraint, the characters and the film are in reach for the sky, while staying firmly rooted to the ground".[13]Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated it 2.5/5 stars and commented that "The film brings Muslim characters back on our radar, breaking away from the tropes of evil terrorists and subservient sidekicks, and giving us those who own the story and drive the narrative."[14]Matt Zoller Seitz of Roger Ebert.com gave 3.5 stars out of 4 and observed that "It is One of the most accessible and entertaining movies about the creative urge that you’ll see."[15]Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com gave 4 stars out of 5 and wrote in her review that "Superboys of Malegaon is a delight to watch".[16]
Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India wrote, "I’m happy — and relieved — to note that Superboys of Malegaon not only retains the essence of the story, it also expands the subtext of its telling. It’s the right kind of adaptation: a crowd-pleaser with a heart, a head and a rare cognizance of the world it arrives in. The cast is solid; the script is layered; the pitch is high but not deafening; the visual tone is neat without being (too) sanitize; the soundtrack is perceptive and diverse; the gaze rarely punches down; even its flaws are logical."[17] Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times gave 4 stars out of 5 and said that "Reema Kagti's film is an ode to cinema peppered with nuanced performances and brilliant technical work."[18] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in observed that "Superboys of Malegaon is a perfectly sweet tribute to the power of cinema to inspire other kinds of cinema. While the movie does not go anywhere near Malegaon’s communally-riven history, every major character just happens to be Muslim – a staggering achievement by contemporary standards."[19]
Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave 4.5 stars and said that "Superboys of Malegaon pays a resounding tribute to the oddballs who dream. You may call these people delusional, ambitious or foolhardy. They are all Avengers in their own way, wielding the superpower of resilience, and ability to smile through their pain."[20] Anuj Kumar off The Hindu wrote that "A strong ensemble, led by Adarsh Gourav, combined with writer Varun Grover’s earnest delineation of small-town cinematic ambitions, make Reema Kagti’s ‘Superboys of Malegaon’ an engaging character study of desi dream merchants"[21]
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