At the Shafi Zakaria Chowk, over cups of tea the moviemakers of Malegaon are working on the scripts of two films based on Friday’s bomb blasts. Ignoring the heat and dust of the passing traffic, the “Mollywood men”, famous for their remakes of Sholay, Don, Karan Arjun, Lagaan and Shaan, sit discussing the aftermath of the blasts and their tributes to those who died.

“My film Chanbeen is going to send out a message of peace and is a protest against any kind of terror,” says director Aleem Tahil, who shot to fame in the powerloom town with his portrayal of Dharmendra’s Veeru in Malegaon ke Sholay. “It is about a policeman’s search for the truth. In the process the whole Hindu-Muslim unity aspect is explored.”

With a budget of Rs 50,000, the two-hour film will star Malegaon’s very own heroes, though the lead actress will be brought in from Mumbai. “We always do that since actresses are not available locally,” explains computer engineer and assistant director Mukim Arshad. “The people from Mumbai are very professional and finish their take within a couple of hours.”

Tahil’s fellow producer, Akram Khan’s Malegaon ke Sher is not going to linger for too long on the details of the real blast. “That is just a backdrop for the film. We don’t want to stir up passions,” the 30-something director says. “My film is a tribute to the children who died in the blasts. My four heroes are young children who help their friends in trouble. The underlying message is that even a determined child can thwart terrorism.”

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