Maalik Review

Well, folks, another Friday, another Bollywood release. And this time, I subjected myself to “Maalik,” a film that graced our screens on July 11, 2025. Armed with a notepad and a growing sense of déjà vu, I meticulously documented my journey through what can only be described as a greatest hits album of every gangster cliché Bollywood has ever produced. Buckle up, because this isn’t going to be pretty.

The Uninspired Opening Act

The movie opens with a premise “set as per 90s cinema.” And, I’ll give them this, the beginning felt authentically… well, like it was made in the 90s. This isn’t necessarily a compliment. We’re immediately plunged into the same old standard goon scenario: police stop a truck at a checkpoint, and out swagger the goons, boasting about their “holiganism.” Originality? Never heard of her.

This is the same old classic story, folks, the one Bollywood has served us a hundred times before, perhaps even a thousand. Rajkummar’s look? So standard, so seen before. The entire scene where the goons question an inspector is utterly normal and, frankly, unexciting. The dialogues are basic, recycled, and sound like they were pulled from a “Bollywood Villain Dialogue Generator” app.

A Predictable Plot from the Get-Go

And the story? Predictable within the first 30 minutes. How, you ask? Simple: goons terrorize, the government gets fed up, and then, gasp, they bring back their decorated but dishonored police officer to bring peace. A story arc seen a million times in the history of Indian cinema. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a broken record stuck on “hero’s redemption.”

Then comes the profound philosophical insight: “Har gunde ki ek kahani – jaan bachane k liye neta ban jao” (Every goon has a story – become a politician to save your life). Truly groundbreaking. And just when you thought it couldn’t get more uninspired, we get the classic “police raid the goon’s house, so the goon kidnaps the cop’s grandson from school, leading to a face-off” sequence. What a cliché storyline. My eyes rolled so hard, they almost fell out.

Glimmers of Hope (Briefly)

A brief moment of genuine relief arrived with Saurabh Shukla’s entry into the movie. Thank god for small mercies. But don’t get too comfortable, because like every goon story, this one too has a backstory where a good boy turns bad. Shocking, I know. Rajkummar’s reason for becoming a goon, and his first fight scene, was a 7/10. And let me tell you, that was the only good thing so far in the movie. It even served as a great moment for the interval, allowing me to briefly escape the predictable narrative.

The Disappointing Second Half

The second half? Oh, it walks the exact predictable path we discovered in the first 30 minutes. Basically, “Maalik” is Gangs of Wasseypur gone bad. Not “gone slightly askew,” but “gone catastrophically, tragically bad.”

Manushi Chillar’s character throughout the entire movie was so common, so generic, that it could have been played by literally anyone. She was less a character and more a placeholder for “female presence in a gangster film.” And, of course, like every gangster movie, there comes an item number when the gangster relaxes. So many clichés, it felt like the movie was written by ChatGPT after being fed a diet of 90s action movie synopses.

Along with Saurabh Shukla, Saurabh Sachdeva’s arrival also came as a relief. Again, small mercies in a sea of mediocrity. Rajkummar actually acted well, I’ll give him that. His character felt like the Rajkummar character from Gangs of Wasseypur graduated to become a full-time godfather. So, while the acting was decent, the character arc was still a rehash.

The Absurd Climax and Final Verdict

A couple of dialogues from the movie were good. Just a couple. And a couple of scenes were good. That’s it. As the movie limped towards its climax, it still hadn’t ignited any interest in me. “Maalik” is an average movie with a script that everyone has been watching since the dawn of Indian cinema.

The transformation of Maalik into a “khoonkhar” (fierce) character after his wife gets killed is great. It’s a classic trope, but at least it provided some emotional weight. The climax does come with an unexpected twist, but when it arrives, you’ll feel that you’ve seen it a lot as well. And then, in the climax, comes the most stupid thing: Maalik gets hit by three bullets, yet there’s no blood loss, and he still stands to fight back. And he’s still not dead! It defies all logic, physics, and basic human anatomy.

With this glorious display of cinematic absurdity, the movie ends with a resounding ⭐️. Yes, one star. Because while it tried, it mostly just reminded me of every other movie I’ve ever seen. Save your time, folks. Unless you’re into cinematic archaeology, there’s nothing new to discover here.