Festival screenings for comedy Superboys Of Malegaon are intended to promote the film beyond a typical Indian audience, according to the film’s producer and director.
“Because of what the film is, we felt it had an opportunity outside of India,” says producer Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment. “We release our movies in a lot of countries, but most of them cater to the Indian diaspora. This story is about friendship, resilience – it has a lot of layers to it, which a larger audience can identify with.”
Superboys Of Malegaon debuted at Toronto in September, before screenings at BFI London Film Festival, Palm Springs and now in the Red Sea: Competition strand.
“The material lends itself to a global audience,” says director Reema Kagti, who wrote the film with Varun Grover. “It’s a really small town in India, but it has the capacity for universal appeal.”
The film depicts an aspiring filmmaker who gathers a group of friends to make a film for his town, Malegaon. It is produced by Kagti and Sidhwani with Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar for Excel and Tiger Baby, with funding from Amazon Studios which boarded the film at script stage. Amazon Prime Video has worldwide rights, and is planning theatrical releases in territories including North America, the UK and the Middle East from February next year.
Kagti and Sidhwani have worked with the streamer before on shows including romantic drama Made In Heaven. “There is a comfort with them,” says Kagti. “They’re really good partners in terms of support, but they also give you a lot of creative control.”
The duo have made their first trip to Red Sea for three Superboys screenings. “I’ve been watching the [selected] films closely, and every year it’s getting better and growing,” says Sidhwani. “There’s a lot of awareness about it. It helps the entire Gulf region, for us, when we release the movie.”
Although Indian stars such as Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan attract some of the most attention at Red Sea, Kagti and Sidhwani are proud to have made a film without actors of that profile. “Strong performances and a solid script done right can attract a lot of attention, so we’re going in with that,” says Kagti.
“There’s a bit of mystery about them,” says Sidhwani of his cast, including Adarsh Gourav. “You discover these people through the journey of the film.”
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