What can you do with Rs 50,000? If you’re Sheikh Nasir of Malegaon, you can mount a spoof film and make a few lakhs off it. Since 2002, Nasir has been a pioneer in creating Malegaon’s own film industry that thrives on making spoofs of classic Hindi films. Such has been the popularity of these spoofs—from Malegaon Ke Sholay to Malegaon Ke Karan Arjun, from Malegaon Ka Don to Malegaon Ka Superman— that they have earned fans in Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar. The latest admirer is Adarsh Gourav, who brings Nasir’s real-life story to screen with Superman Of Malegaon.

Fronting director Reema Kagti’s movie was a learning experience for the actor as he understood the town’s unique approach to filmmaking. “While the films may be different, they have cracked the code with a solid business model, reaping substantial profits,” says Gourav, referring to how Nasir, in the early 2000s, would make these short films with the locals headlining them and a motley local crew helping him shoot them. They would then be played in the tiny theatres across Malegaon and the surrounding region of Khandesh.

The advent of YouTube in the late 2000s led to a surge in local filmmakers establishing their own channels. Today, Mollywood—as the industry is called—boasts numerous popular channels, producing 10- to 15-minute comedy sketches, garnering millions of views. Gourav adds that these films stand out for their unique brand of humour that reflects the goings-on of the town.

“Each project is a labour of love. Almost all their films make money, and that [is because] the industry has mastered the art of delivering a genre of cinema that is truly their own.”