The tragic tale of Malegaon's Superman

Mumbai: Picture a superhero and the first images that will jog up in your memory would be everything superhuman; invincibility, limitless power, ability to fly and so on.

If you thought the tragic endings to the supermen on celluloid were tragic, then this one would surely be heartbreak since it is one in real life.

We hear the lead actor of Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra's next film Malegaon Ka Superrman Shaikh Shafique is meeting the dreaded fate.

Call it a cruel joke or irony, but the 28-year-old actor, who can be seen fighting the evils of tobacco in the film is suffering from throat cancer (as a result of his tobacco intake) and has very few days left to live.

A source informs, "The debutant actor Shaikh Shafique, who lives in Malegaon, was very excited to play the role of Superman in the film. But his world came crashing down when he was diagnosed with throat cancer a year ago. He is in the last stage."

The source adds, "Since Shaikh is critical, Kashyap and Bohra have arranged a special screening of the film in Malegaon. They just want to keep their Superman happy."

Sunil Bohra says, "I was shocked when I found out three days ago that Shiekh will not survive more than few months. I immediately released the poster and announced the release date of the film because I want him to be there when the film comes out. It is being released in November."

But by the time you see this film, he may not be there.

" Zoya and Farhan Akhtar saw the film at a film festival and have dubbed messages for him. We are planning to get around 50 people from the industry to record messages against the perils of tobacco. Even Sheila Dixit met him after watching the film," Bohra added.

The film, directed by Shaikh Nasir, has done the rounds of festivals last year. It has been shot on a shoestring budget with a crew from Malegaon itself.

It all started a few years ago, when the Canada Broadcasting Corporation (while researching for their project India Reborn) put the film industry in the nondescript city in the Nashik district on the global map.

Of course, this parallel cinema was famous in India even before that.

So what makes Mollywood different, or special? One is its cast and crew, all of whom live in Malegaon itself. Then, its super small budgets (some have been made with as less as R 50,000!).

And finally, and most importantly, the films spoofs of popular Bollywood movies. Some of its blockbusters include Malegaon Ke Sholay and Malegaon Ki Lagaan.