02 September,2026 10:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Jackie Shroff and Manish Saini (Picture via Special Arrangement)
Bringing back the innocence and quirky charm of the 90s, The Great Grand Superhero presents an unusual superhero story with Jackie Shroff at its centre. In an exclusive conversation with mid-day, filmmaker Manish Saini opened up about his vision behind the film, casting Shroff and working with children.
Saini said the film is designed to resonate with those who grew up in the 90s. "Very few people know that 90s kids can relate to all the jokes in it. I have made a couple of films that are around childhood and they are like that. They have nostalgic values in them," he said.
Explaining the idea behind the superhero, Saini added, "I always felt that why don't we think like superheroes, like superheroes of that age, like superheroes in those stories." The filmmaker wanted to explore the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, while also questioning why superheroes are almost always young.
According to Saini, the story also reflects how senior citizens can sometimes feel overlooked. "After a certain point in his life, he surrenders and says that he's retired, everything is over, leave it to the children," he said. This led him to imagine a grandfather who wants to prove that he still has something to offer. "I always used to think that why is a superhero a young man? There could be a senior citizen who never got the chance to show his power. The alien never came, nothing bad happened," he added.
Working with children was another aspect Saini enjoyed. "It's a challenge and it's also fun," he said, adding that having children on set brings "a lot of positivity". He believes the key is casting actors who naturally resemble their characters. "They are very natural actors. If you have done the casting right, you have cast the character, not the acting," he explained.
Saini was initially told that Jackie Shroff was serious about the project, but the actor eventually connected with the script. "Even when I was pitching the film to Zee Studios, they couldn't relate Jackie Shroff as a superhero. But I was sure that the character was made for him," he said, pointing to Shroff's fitness and "childlike quality".
Bhagyashree, too, came on board after Saini was convinced by her voice texture. "I was still not sure whether she would agree for the role," he recalled.
Ultimately, Saini wants the film to be more than a children's movie. "Such a film shouldn't be a brand. It's not just for kids. It's also about childhood. And it's also for people like us," he concluded.
