"Hymns to the magic of filmmaking tend to be more entrancing when there is some ineptitude involved", which is why the Hindi-language comedy "Superboys of Malegaon" is "so engaging", said Jonathan Romney in the Financial Times.
Based on a true story, it's about a young film buff named Nasir (Adarsh Gourav) who runs a video parlour showing films on VHS, in the Indian city of Malegaon. The business is struggling because Nasir's programme of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton films doesn't attract audiences, but then he gets the idea of showing pirated videos in which these silent classics are mashed up with Bollywood films. They prove a hit, and before long he is making films himself, roping in friends to shoot "made-in-Malegaon" parodies of Bollywood hits. Romantic subplots aside, the film is "very much a story about men's friendship and flaws", and its "genial ensemble cast" is nicely headed by Gourav, who proves a "personable" onscreen presence.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations amid DEI attacks but students are pressing onIn the Spotlight The commencement at Harvard University was in the news, but other colleges are also taking action
-
When did computer passwords become a thing?The Explainer People have been racking their brains for good codes for longer than you might think
-
What to know before 'buying the dip'the explainer Purchasing a stock once it has fallen in value can pay off — or cost you big
-
Ancient India: living traditions – 'ethereal and sensual' exhibitionThe Week Recommends Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are explored in show that remains 'remarkably compact'
-
6 well-preserved homes built in the 1930sFeature Featuring a restored 1934 colonial in Arizona and a cold-storage warehouse turned loft in New York City
-
Things in Nature Merely Grow: memoir of 'harsh beauty' after lossThe Week Recommends Chinese-American novelist Yiyun Li's 'devastating' memoir explores the deaths of her two sons
-
Sirens: entertaining satire on the lives of the ultra-wealthy stars Julianne MooreThe Week Recommends This 'blackly comic affair' unfurls at a 'breakneck speed'
-
Mrs Warren's Profession: 'tour-de-force' from Imelda Staunton and daughter Bessie CarterThe Week Recommends Mother-daughter duo bring new life to George Bernard Shaw's morality play
-
Critics' choice: Steak houses that break from traditionFeature Eight hours of slow-roasting prime rib, a 41-ounce steak, and a former Catholic school chapel turned steakhouse
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden loveFeature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Film reviews: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and Final Destination: BloodlinesFeature Tom Cruise risks life and limb to entertain us, a young girl befriends a destructive alien, and death stalks a family that resets fate's toll.
