Gangster drama faces tough competition but shows promise for weekend growth
Rajkummar Rao stepped into unfamiliar territory with "Maalik," trading his usual comedic roles for the dark world of gangsters. The gamble paid off partially as the film opened to a decent ₹4.02 crore on Friday, though it couldn't match the actor's recent track record.
The Pulkit-directed action thriller marks a bold departure for Rao, who has been riding high on comedy successes. However, the opening numbers tell a different story. "Maalik" earned significantly less than his previous release ", Bhool Chuk Maaf," which pulled in ₹7 crore on its first day. This breaks Rao's impressive streak of top-five openers that began with the blockbuster "Stree 2."
The low key opening was not a complete shock to box office analysts. The limited screens posed a challenge to the film as high competition made it an uphill task. The theatres are already having several releases and trying to manage them such as the current productions of Sitaare Zameen Par, Housefull 5, Metro in Dino and Jurassic World Rebirth with not much air to accommodate new productions.
Maalik takes viewers to the dusty streets of 1980s Allahabad, where Rao has portrayed Deepak, who is the son of a farm worker and becomes a feared ganglord. It is about his transformation, how he started as the victim of social injustice and became a part of the machine which he had previously struggled with. It is nothing new to the Hindi film; however, the powerful performance by Rao resurrects the otherwise stale plot.
The pattern of the occupancy rate of 12.86 per cent in the film on Friday was quite interesting. The attendance in the morning shows was stuck at 6.65 per cent, whereas the highest attendance was in the night shows at 21.88 percent. This points to a possible word-of-mouth, which should give a boost to weekend collections.
Supporting cast members have drawn praise from early viewers. Prosenjit Chatterjee, playing an ageing encounter specialist, brings gravitas to his role. Manushi Chhillar handles the predictable love interest part competently, while veterans Saurabh Shukla and Saurabh Sachdeva add authenticity to the political backdrop.
Critics have been mixed in their response. While everyone agrees Rao delivers a committed performance, many point to the film's predictable plot and uneven pacing. The 152-minute runtime has also come under fire, with some reviewers suggesting tighter editing would have helped.
Despite the criticism, "Maalik" managed to outperform Vikrant Massey's "Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan," which collected a disappointing ₹32 lakh. This shows there's still an appetite for well-made gangster films, even if they follow familiar patterns.
Producer Kumar Taurani's Tips Industries Limited, along with Northern Lights Films, invested ₹54 crore in the project. With day one collections representing just 7.44 per cent budget recovery, the film needs a strong weekend performance to stay viable.
The real test comes over the next few days. Friday's numbers, while modest, aren't disastrous. If audiences embrace Rao's transformation and word-of-mouth improves, "Maalik" could surprise everyone. The film's authentic portrayal of 1980s UP politics and Rao's career-best performance might just be enough to draw crowds looking for something different from the usual fare.
For now, "Maalik" sits in that uncertain middle ground, not a disaster, but not a clear winner either. The weekend will decide whether Rajkummar Rao's bold career move pays off or becomes a cautionary tale about straying too far from proven formulas.
