The new Hindi movie “Superboys of Malegaon” is out this week. Based on the life of Nasir Shaikh, an amateur filmmaker from the town of Malegaon, the movie was filmed on location and is a poignant yet uplifting take on both filmmaking and friendship.
Located in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, Malegaon is famous for its power loom industry and the eponymous fort on the north bank of the Mausam River, a tributary of the Girna.
Malegaon Fort was constructed in 1740 by Naro Shankar Raje Bahadur, a general of the Maratha Empire. When he was appointed as an agent in Malwa, a region in west-central India, he was charged with 18 villages, including Malegaon. Craftsmen were brought in from Surat and northern India to build the fort, which took 25 years to complete. Once it was completed, the craftsmen settled in the town.
The fort remains in good condition even today. The height of its inner wall is 60 ft and the entrance is surmounted by lofty doors. There are two cannons at the entrance and a hexagonal well inside. A tour of the complex takes no more than an hour.
The cloth manufacturing industry of Malegaon mostly uses power looms, the products of which are then sold to merchants further afield. Several plastic manufacturing companies are also operational around the city, making the town a prime mercantile and industrial hub of Nashik district.
A trek to the Salota Fort and the nearby Salher Fort is ideal for people looking for a challenge. The strenuous climb is a test of your fitness, and you will probably require climbing equipment like trekking poles, but the reward is well worth it because the landscape visible stretches into the horizon.
Saptashrungi is a Hindu temple where the Hindu deity Saptashrungi Nivasini dwells within seven mountain peaks. The temple is one of the 51 shakti peethas of India and is the location where Hindu deity Sati's right arm is reported to have fallen. Devotees visit the temple in large numbers every day to seek blessings from the deity.
Take a taxi to cover the 332 km from Mumbai to Malegaon, or the train to Manmad Junction (MMR), approximately 40 km away.