‘Maalik’ (2025) Movie Review - Rajkummar Rao In A Boring Action Thriller

Rajkummar Rao can give a hard time to film critics. How many times can we reuse words like "excellent," "wonderful," or "terrific" to describe his acting? But I have probably said it before, and I will once again repeat it: A movie can be absolutely unwatchable - absolutely shit. Yet, Rajkummar Rao can prove himself to be the best thing about that film. There are many good actors in the Hindi film industry, but this incredible quality alone makes Rao distinct from his colleagues. I don't know how he does it. Here is a man who really loves not only his profession, but also the movies. This love (again) is on full display in Maalik. Consider the scene where the titular character (also known as Deepak) listens to an inspirational story from the lips of his idol, Minister Shankar Singh (Saurabh Shukla). The mix of reverence, adoration, and ecstasy that bubbles up on Rao's face is so palpable that you, too, feel motivated by the balloon story. His eyes sparkle with joy, and you see a man hungry for fame and wealth - a man who wants to eagerly touch the sky. Rao is one of those rare actors who attune you to his character's wavelength. The pre-interval action sequence, where a bad guy goes up in flames with the help of firecrackers, looks exciting only because Rao sells you on his intensity. It's almost impossible to watch a Rajkummar Rao performance passively. Yet, Pulkit, the director of Maalik, manages to do the impossible by dampening the actor's energy. 

What Rosshan Andrrews did with Shahid Kapoor in Deva is what Pulkit does with Rao in Maalik. The director reduces his star to a series of cool-looking, stylish stills. Rao smokes and broods like a man who knows the camera is filming him. Or, at least, that's what we feel when we watch him in Maalik, especially during the post-interval portions that can only be described as BORING. The script, written by Pulkit and Jyotsana Nath, gives very little space to personal interactions and relationships. Deepak's scenes with his wife, Shalini (Manushi Chhillar), are somewhat repetitive. He tries to have sex with her, but is interrupted by her demands or by his father's (Rajendra Gupta) voice. How did he meet her? Was this a love marriage or an arranged marriage? Does she have parents? What do they think about Maalik? Shalini never talks to Deepak about his gangster life. She doesn't seem too happy, but as the wife of an influential crime boss, she must have gained access to certain privileges, right? What are they? The movie doesn't bother going there. Rather, it shoves Deepak's wife and parents inside the house and calls them occasionally to move the plot forward, such as when police officer Prabhu Das (Prosenjit Chatterjee) intimidates them or when, after getting pregnant, Shalini asks Deepak to leave the world of crime. How did Shalini get pregnant when things never went beyond a kiss? When Huma Qureshi appears for an item number, you think a sexually unsatisfied Deepak would satisfy his lust through this woman. Maalik, though, doesn't provide such, um, negative shades to the lead character. Instead, it tells us that Deepak is not sex deprived and Shalini is not a virgin. Where is the carnality? Where is the intimacy? Isn't this an A-rated film? Why not utilize the full potential of that rating?

This is why Sandeep Reddy Vanga is such a good filmmaker. He purposefully makes A-grade movies so that he can go bonkers with his canvas of love, lust, and ferocity. A filmmaker like Pulkit remains restricted to a narrow range of emotions; remove blood and brutality, and Maalik will become a tame, lame PG outing. Another issue with Pulkit is that he wants to enter the masala territory, but he's also embarrassed by the masala pitch. There are no grand emotions, no melodramatic flavor, and no style. Since the husband-wife relationship is flimsy and perfunctory, we feel nothing when she dies. Deepak's best friend, Badaun (Anshumaan Pushkar), turns into a traitor, and the foreshadowing occurs subtly. You suspect something's not right in scenes like the one where Badaun sits on Deepak's chair when the latter is called by a judge to sign legal papers. Pulkit spoils all the fun by being all subtle and classy. This thread begs to be played loudly, which, let's be honest, can be said about the whole film. The plain sophistication neuters crucial emotions - there's no bite. Pushkar is a remarkable actor, however. Notice how he, solely with his expressions, mocks a police officer when Maalik's trucks are stopped for inspection. But like Rao, he, too, is ultimately wasted. Pulkit attempts to infuse a mythic touch into Maalik. The line "Sabka maalik ek hai" is written on the trucks. The man who's called to kill Maalik is named Prabhu Das. A panditji (Murari Kumar) emerges from out of nowhere to help Maalik/Deepak. These beats needed to be fleshed out with conviction. In Pulkit's hands, everything feels faint and haphazard. No wonder, then, one ends up thinking that the director is just chasing the new macho movie trend that has gripped the mainstream movies. And by playing a macho character, Rao also gets to check off an item from his list. This Maalik is just a bandwagoner. It's neither a pioneer nor a daredevil.

Final Score- [2.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times