'Maalik' Trailer: Rajkummar Rao's Cold-Blooded Gangster Wants to Rule

Actor Rajkummar Rao is switching gears with his latest gritty actioner, Maalik, the trailer for which was released on Tuesday. The over two-minute-long visual asset of the film features Rao in his most intense and menacing role yet as he plays a gangster in Allahabad of the 1980s.

Sporting a rugged look, Rao is seen delivering punchy, massy dialogues in the film, which is billed as a tale of ambition, power, and survival set in a world ruled by guns and greed. Also starring Manushi Chhillar, along with Saurabh Shukla and Saurabh Sachdeva in pivotal parts, Maalik is directed by Pulkit.

Talking about his character, Rao stated that this is the first time he has taken on a "hard-hitting role" like the one in Maalik. "It really pushed me as an actor and let me explore a darker, more intense side. Playing a layered, ruthless gangster was both thrilling and challenging and that’s what made it so exciting. I can’t wait for the audience to experience the gritty, gripping world we’ve created."

Chhillar, who starred in two films last year, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Operation Valentine, said Maalik allowed her to step into a gritty, raw and intense world, while Pulkit, who last helmed the Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Bhakshak (2024), called mounting Maalik a "remarkable journey".

Maalik is produced by Kumar Taurani under the Tips Films banner, along with Jay Shewakramani of Northern Lights Films. The film will have a box office face-off on July 11 with Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor in her screen debut.

Maalik is the second theatrical release for Rao, who was recently seen in the romantic-comedy Bhool Chuk Maaf. The actor had a packed 2024 with films like Srikanth, Mr. & Mrs. Mahi, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Stree 2, which emerged as one of the highest Hindi grossers of all time.