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Directed : Pulkit
Written : Jyotsana Nath, Pulkit
Produced : Kumar Taurani, Jay Shewakramani
Starring : Rajkummar Rao, Prosenjit
Chatterjee, Manushi Chhillar, Huma Qureshi
Director Pulkit’s film is an outdated gangster drama that suffers from dull storytelling and a convoluted screenplay. Written by Jyotsana Nath and Pulkit, the narrative 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 bos
prompting Deepak to take up crime and assume the name Maalik. There’s no substantial plot beyond one gangbanger or the other trying to bring him down. This includes MLA Balhar (Swanand Kirkire), who ropes in a suspended SP from Kolkata, Prabhu Das (Prosenjit Chatterjee), to arrest Maalik. His mentor, Shankar Singh (Saurabh Shukla),
and rival, Chandrashekhar (Saurabh Sachdeva), also turn against him. The film simply drags on as each tries to eliminate him, and he defeats them one by one. As the viewer begins to lose track of who’s chasing him and when, the plot devolves into relentless shootouts that quickly become tedious.
The narrative briefly gains momentum in the second half, and some of the action sequences are shot with finesse, especially the climax.Although the lack of a compelling plotline makes the viewing experience cumbersome, the film maintains an even pace. A major betrayal toward the end, however, renders the story trite.
Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s cinematography and Ketan Sodha’s background score lend some polish to the overall narrative.Rajkummar Rao delivers a strong performance. He strikes a balance between being a dreaded gangster and a caring family man. Even in a brief role, Prosenjit Chatterjee delivers a fine act as the SP determined to bring Maalik down.
Manushi Chhillar has limited screen time but is decent as Maalik’s wife. Anshumaan Pushkar is also effective as Maalik’s college friend turned trusted aide. The other supporting cast—Saurabh Shukla, Swanand Kirkire, and Saurabh Sachdeva—lend able support.Maalik is an uninspired and clichéd gangster drama that offers little novelty and can be skipped.
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