Rajkummar Rao Ignites Familiar Ground in Maalik;
rajkummar-rao-maalik-fiery-performance-review) Have you ever had that chill that ran down your spine because some amazing actor has brought life to a story you have experienced? It is that experience that drives the entire film-the political thriller, Maalik, in which Rajkummar Rao brings his burning talent to the center of gravity of a movie that founders on cliched scripting and situations. Although the story may be a familiar one, the uncensored aggressiveness of Rao prevents you not to take your eyes off the screen. The story is classic political hockey: the naive ordinary citizen hero, Arjun (Rao), is up to his ears in the snake pit of corruption when he goes up against a local political power-house (Jimmy Sheirgill, menacingly charming). It is a kind of David against Goliath, power game and trade-off of moral issues, a field already thoroughly covered in Indian movies. You will spot the beats: innocent family under threat, descent to the darker world, fight to the finish. One must then ask then, what makes Maalik worth your time? Rajkummar Rao. He does not only act as Arjun but he occupies the earth throughout his major character. See him go from an optimistic naive man with a hopeful visage in later scenes and turn into the man that is hardened by life with eyes ablaze in an uncertain fever of desperation and anger. Rao is adept at the minor variations, the flutter of anxiety as his family is confronted, the cold determination which has stiffened his voice, the molten fury held at bay. No, it is not acting, it is alchemy. He has made Arjun suffer, been angry, reach his final decisions which as flawed were so incredibly human. His struggle does not only inform your eyes; it settles in your stomach. Director Dinesh Singh creates one of those moments where you cannot doubt the tension, especially in conflict between Rao and Sheirgill. Their scenes are smouldering with stake. Coupled with Singh is also the stylistic swag of sharp scissors, dark light, and thumping background music Where Maalik falters though is when it gets all formulaic. The second part seems to drag out with some expected twists and melodrama side entertainment to weaken the impression. Rao is charismatic, albeit the secondary characters appear to have a cartoonish quality. The screen presence does not make Sheirgill into a villain we have not seen a million times before. Arjun is the husband of the talented Faria Abdullah who is mostly confined to the periphery as her character is nothing more than a prop to advance the plot. Others in a quest to sound punchy end up with a thud of cliche. The greatest problem of the film is that it is not a very novel affair in terms of narrative. The main conflict does not bring many shocks. You are familiar with the arc, you are expecting the sacrifices and you can predict the moral dilemmas. The efficiency of this predictability is the old wine in the container. The plot is a familiar one, however, it is well put and can be freely stated that the film is worth a watch. The verdict (3 / 5 Stars – A Fiery Rao Sets The Territory On Fire): Maalik is a film that can be divided into two half, one that is superb in all aspects due to the brilliance of Rao and tight direction, and other half that is formulaic and drags due to the same. It is a testimony of the talent in Rajkummar Rao that he manages to carry the entire experience on his own shoulders. He has so much sheer feeling, so much rabid belief in Arjun that you accompany it through much of the predictability of the plot. It is such a performance that makes us understand why Rao is one of the best actors of his generation. Is it worth watching? Yes, sure, when you are in the mood of a masterclass acting. Take the pure electric power of Rajkummar Rao dominating the screen. Attend to see an actor breathe his heart into a role, such that the slightest, most routine encounter is energised. This is just a groundbreaking story telling. One would be willing to call the film simply a showcase of the equally mighty talents of its lead actor and leave it at that, just as there is a reason why sometimes old wine can be made to taste like something that thrills.
