Writer baap hota hai… I’m glad this line is initiating a conversation about screenwriters: Reema Kagti

What impressed you about Nasir Shaikh’s story and how did it inform Superboys of Malegaon, the first Amazon-backed Indian movie in theatres?

From the time we acquired the rights to tell Nasir Shaikh’s story, our dream was to make a truly global Indian film. Nasir’s story is inspirational in how he inadvertently kick-started a filmmaking trend. He made a small film for the love of it and released it in his own video parlour. Not only did he earn four times the money he spent but it encouraged others to follow suit. Together, they developed a parallel video-film industry. They might have made spoofs but the fact remains that they cast locals and their films reflected local issues. As the character of Nasir says Superboys of Malegaon, “The need of the hour was to make people laugh, considering people were dealing with so many troubles.” Such a story about the power of cinema should be shown in theatres, we believed.

You mentioned how you connected to Nasir and his journey as a film director.

I realised there are several parallels between us. Whether you are a director based in Mumbai or Malegaon, there are some traits that you will have. I spent my formative years in a small town. During those years I, too, was a film buff. Since Nasir and I are from the same generation, we have similar cinematic influences. Like him, my career, too, is built on collaborations with friends — Zoya and Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

With the line — ‘Writer baap hota hai (writer is the boss)’ — did you wish to send out a message, mainly because writers often don’t get their due in the industry?

When we were improvising, Vineet Kumar Singh (who plays a writer in the film) said the line. Varun had that subtext in the scene, Vineet vocalised it. The minute I heard it, I knew what a strong line it was. I am glad it is initiating a conversation about writers.

 

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The documentary, Supermen of Malegaon, is still popular among certain audiences.

I am a fan of the documentary and so are many in our cast and crew. That’s why we also gave a shout-out to the documentary in the credits. Its parameters and that of the film are different. We wanted to arrive at something else. Therefore, we decided to start with a clean slate and do our own research. Varun spent a lot of time with Nasir. Some of the cast members, too, spent time in Malegaon.

You’ve said recently that the aim should be to make ‘good films and not hit films’.

I said this when asked to advise aspiring filmmakers. Writers, directors and producers have to do some soul-searching about what they are putting out and what their motivations are. If you remain true to the artist in you, you will come up with a big idea and you will see it through. That’s how you make good films. When you focus on making a good film and if it lands well, it will be a hit film. When you package a hit film, rarely has it worked. You are doing that because there is a predecessor and something has worked.

The Hindi film industry has seen a slump in 2024. Your comments?

It will require more than one bad year to run down the industry. The pandemic was kind of a disruptor. There is a spate of big and small films releasing in theatres. That’s the sign of a thriving industry. However, in terms of content, can we raise the bar? Yes, of course.

What do you wish should be the takeaway after watching Superboys of Malegaon?

It will inspire people to achieve their dreams. Those who don’t have a dream, I hope, will find a dream after watching it.