How Malegaon Ke Sholay’s crew of locals changed the way the iconic Dharmendra-Amitabh-starrer is seen

Shaikh, now 53 and often referred to as the face of Malegaon’s quirky yet earnest film scene, says the choice to keep the scene serious was deliberate.

“That bridge scene captured the heart of Sholay, its tension, its courage. Tampering with it would have felt like erasing a sacred moment. It was my favourite scene in the original, and it became my favourite in our version too. Looking back, I think it was our tribute to Sholay, with whatever little we had.” Nasir says.

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Malegaon, a bustling textile hub with a population of 4.8 lakh, 79% of whom are Muslim, has long symbolized industrial grit amid chronic underdevelopment. In its overcrowded powerloom quarters, thousands of workers endure 12–14 hour shifts in stifling conditions. A series of two bomb blasts one in 2006 and another in 2008 cast a long shadow over the town, fueling perceptions of Muslim alienation and leading to the arrest of several young men unfairly branding Malegaon as a cradle of radicalism.

It was however men like Nasir Shaikh that have helped tackle Malegaons’s negative image creating a film industry that spoofs Bollywood blockbusters using limited resources and maximum creativity. These films laced with Malegaons local dialect and raising issues affecting Malegaon as well as including the daily intricacies of everyday life of Malegaon’s residents found huge favour amongst the local audience when shown in the innumerable ricket 200 seater video parlours that had mushroomed in the city the 70s and 80s where men sat on rickety steel chairs paying Rs three per ticket in the 90s.

The film that however set the tone was India”s most iconic film Sholay which Nasir and his friend Akram Khan were itching to remake in Malegaon. While Nasir had been making small films and ads for Malegaon’s local shops since the mid 90s Malegaon Ke Sholay was his fifth and most expensive film made in 2000 at a budget of Rs 50000.

“In our world, duplicates and cheap imitations often sell better than original products. I’ve always been fascinated by Bollywood duplicates and their mannerisms. The thought crossed my mind: why not replicate this idea and recreate “Sholay” in the context of Malegaon?” Shaikh explained.

Written by Akram Khan and Hamid Subhani Malegaon ke Sholay was a parody born out of sheer creativity and resourcefulness. Directed by Nasir Shaikh and shot with local actors in two months, the film became a landmark in Malegaon’s homegrown cinema scene, celebrated for its humor and ingenuity.

Before this, Nasir had directed several original and rib-tickling films, including Khandesh ki Baraat, a slapstick comedy written by local funnyman Asif Albela, who also played multiple roles. Nasir had dabbled in spoofing Sholay before, once even filming Gabbar Singh promoting a local cut-piece cloth shop for an ad but recreating the actual film was an ambitious leap, with many of Nasir”s own backers doubting whether he could pull off.

“There were so many doubts. Where do we get so many horses? How could we recreate Gabbar’s rocky lair, or the train sequence?,” Nasir said.

But Nasir’s 50-member crew, drawn from friends to locals, tackled the obstacles with classic Malegaon flair. Horses were replaced with bicycles, then the town’s most common mode of transport. A local bus service owner generously lent a vehicle, which stood in for the train. While Sholay’s original train chase was shot by a foreign crew led by famed stunt coordinator Gerry Crampton, Malegaon’s version relied on fearless locals, some jumping off moving bikes, others taking hits for laughs.

The result was a two-hour spoof filled with local dialects, cultural references, and sharp satire.

Initially made on a shoestring budget of around Rs 50,000, the film made over ₹2 lakh in ticket sales as local parlours. Nasir later sold the rights to a music company for just Rs 20,000. Unfortunately, because of copyright restrictions, Malegaon Ke Sholay cannot be uploaded or screened widely today, it remains locked in a vault. Still, it is the film closest to Nasir’s heart
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“It brought smiles to so many faces. I’m proud that people would watch Sholay in a local theatre one day and still return to watch Malegaon Ke Sholay the next,” he says.

Siraj Dular, president of the Malegaon Drama and Arts Culture Association, explains the film’s enduring appeal.

“Unlike elsewhere, where viewers go for the stars, in Malegaon people ask, ‘Aidva ke hai?’ (Who is the comedian?) Comedy is their escape. Nasir’s films gave people that joy.”

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The success of Malegaon Ke Sholay catapulted Nasir to national fame. His work inspired numerous documentaries, including Supermen of Malegaon, produced by Zoya Akhtar. Yet, Nasir has never met Javed Akhtar, the legendary writer of *Sholay*, nor discussed the film with him.

“I would love to. Sholay is a perfect film. It speaks to every Indian. People say scenes were lifted from Hollywood, but the way Sholay wove those elements into a story that connected with every social class was unique. Even our humble version connected because everyone knew the original so well,” he says.