MUMBAI: Bollywood has had a long and successful tryst with gangster movies, from the slick-and-stylish days of Deewar, Dharmatma, Parinda, Shootout at Lokhande, and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai to the raw-and-rustic Shiva, Vaastav, Company, Agneepath, Satya, Company, and Gangs of Wasseypur. It's been quite a while though since we've had a solid, hard-hitting gangster flick, so it's no wonder that Rajkummar Rao and Manushi Chhillar starrer, Maalik, directed by Pulkit, has arrived in theaters with decent buzz. Does it live up to it? Well, I certainly think it does to a large extent.
The usual tropes are there of a young guy, with his back to the wall against a system he feels has severely wronged him, out for both vengeance and what he feels ought to be his right, rising through the ranks and then getting ready with power as he begins to buy into his own narrative and faux invincibility. Rajkummar Rao nails this role to the T, exhibiting his range once again as also his efficacy to play against type with aplomb.
Manushi is decent as his romantic interest, but could've done better, however, that could be down to a slightly underwritten part. On the other hand, the rest of the supporting cast from Prosenjit Chatterjee and Anshumaan Pushkar to Swanand Kirkire and Saurabh Shukla are all in top form, ironing out whatever narrative creases crop up, especially in the first half. The second half is more or less up to the mark, and whatever deficiency appears in the film due to its prolonged runtime can be put down to slightly shoddy editing and a tad languid pace in the first half.
Besides Zubin Sheikh's cuts though, Maalik is technically sound from the production design to the costumes and especially, the overall look and lighting rendered by cameraperson Anuj Rakesh Dhawan. Coupled with Rajkummar Rao's power-packed titular act, the strong support he receives from most of the remaining cast, and Director Pulkit's narration, Maalik gets most things right for a hard-hitting concoction or crime and power on the big screen.
3.5/5 stars
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