Maalik (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Maalik is a gangster drama starring Rajkummar Rao that is expected to be a gripping story about a man’s rise to power in the underworld.

My Take – For a while their Hindi cinema gave us some iconic gangster features like Satya (1998), Vaastav (1999), Company (2002), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), and the Gangs of Wassypur (2012) duology, to name a few of course.

But then things became stale and routine, with each and every new entry into the sub-genre seemed to be adopting the same trope-heavy narrative of a ‘rags to riches’ story that starts off with an injustice, follows up with a relentless rampage of bloody shootouts, a moment of rise, peace & celebration, but then heads towards a tragic end.

Sadly, this latest from writer-director Pulkit, who showed immense promise with last year’s Netflix release ‘Bhakshak‘, is yet another forgettable entry in the overpopulated gangster space. Though, it is refreshing to see Rajkummar Rao presented in a different role other than his usual typecast, and allows the talented actor ample scope to show off his action skills, the screenplay and direction lack the necessary emotional nuance and offers little novelty.

Right from the word go, we as viewers can easily predict how each beat of the script is about to go, including the supposed twist in tale that pops up in the climax. Simply told, the film offers nothing we have not seen before.

Set in the late 1980s in the city of Allahabad, the story follows Deepak (Rajkummar Rao), a young man from a farming family whose life takes a violent turn when his farmer father (Rajendra Gupta) is severely injured while attempting to protect his employer’s fields from encroachment. Driven by his desire for vengeance, Deepak tracks down and brutally kills the individual responsible for his father’s assault, an act which initiates his descent into the criminal underworld.

Adopting the moniker “Maalik”, with the backing by a powerful minister Shankar Singh a.k.a. Dadda (Saurabh Shukla), over the next few years, Deepak and his loyal associate, Badaun (Anshumaan Pushkar), systematically build a criminal empire amidst the volatile socio-political landscape, and navigate intricate relationships with political figures like MLA Balhar Singh (Swanand Kirkire) and rivals like Chandrashekhar (Saurabh Sachdeva).

While his parents and loving wife, Shalini (Manushi Chhillar), emplore him to give up on his criminal ways, but as his influence expands, so does the opposition against him. And his latest comes in the form of formerly suspended police officer Prabhu Das (Prosenjit Chatterjee), who is popularly known for his 98 encounters, who arrives to arrest and end Maalik’s reign of terror, but quickly makes things personal.

Co-written by Jyotsana Nath, there is absolutely nothing in the story-line that hasn’t been done and done better in countless gangster films before it. The screenplay has a few serviceable moments, but for the most part, it trudges along predictably. There’s little to no narrative tension, and the film leans heavily on archetypes instead of creating compelling characters.

Surprisingly, the script too offers little insight into Deepak’s rise in the world of crime. Apart from an unconvincing origin story where his helpless father is beaten by a powerful boss, prompting Deepak to take up crime and assume the name Maalik, there’s no substantial plot beyond one gang-banger or the other trying to bring him down.

Yes, some of action set pieces are gripping, but they too get monotonous after a while. The catchy item number composed by Sachin Jigar and suitably performed by Huma Qureshi is also lazily placed into the proceedings. Technically the film is fine, but it feels like the makers are under the impression that they are telling something novel when, perhaps, the effort should have been to hide the obvious.

As one would expect, Rajkummar Rao dominates the screen, proving once again why he’s one of the most versatile actors in the industry. He strikes the right balance between being a dreaded gangster and a caring family man. Manushi Chhillar, in her limited screen time, makes a striking impression with her presence and elegance. With his Bengali touch and stylish demeanour, Prosenjit Chatterjee brings freshness to a stock character.

In supporting roles, Anshumaan Pushkar, Saurabh Sachdeva, Swanand Kirkire, Rajendra Gupta and Saurabh Shukla are fine, with their characters dissolving into routine stereotypes. On the whole, ‘Maalik‘ is an outdated gangster drama that without the exception of Rajkummar Rao‘s standout performance offers little novelty.