Maalik (2025) Review: When Bollywood Serves Old Wine in a Recycled Bottle

Bollywood, the magical land where every gunda (goon) has a golden heart and every hero’s shirt is allergic to buttons, brings us Maalik (2025). And, as you might have thought that you would get a new gangster drama, you would be welcoming some deja vu. This is the same as asking for butter chicken and receiving paneer; it’s the same thing, but still different. Maalik promises grit, ambition, and betrayal, but delivers a tale as predictable as your uncle’s WhatsApp forwards.

The world is already gorging on spicy, unpredictable curries through the OTT mediums, but Bollywood continues to feed them with plain, second-hand curries. The question is, why does this keep recurring? Why do we in this country have the same old recipe loved by our filmmakers? Let’s dive in, with a pinch of humour and a dash of seriousness, to unravel the mystery behind Bollywood’s obsession with tackiness and why Maalik is its latest victim.

The Plot: Once Upon a Time in Allahabad (Again!)

Maalik is set in Allahabad in the 1980s-90s, a city that seems to have more gangsters per square foot than paan shops. Our hero, Deepak, aka Maalik (played by Rajkummar Rao), is a regular guy who becomes a gangster because choices are limited in Bollywood scripts.

It is a compilation of all the greatest hits of all gangster films you have ever watched: an aggrieved man rises, guns shoot, deceit occurs, and by the end, it’s hard to get a hold on whether you have seen Vaastav or Satya played simultaneously. The movie attempts to utter threats, but only screams triteness. You can play a game of Bollywood Plots Bingo, and you win within the first half of an hour: greedy politicians, likeable friends, emotional parents, and a love interest she can be interested in, only to be concerned.

Cast and Characters: Who’s Who in Maalik-land?

Time to introduce us to the cast, as that is probably where the movie is making more of a sparkling primary impression than the script:

Rajkummar Rao as Deepak/Maalik: The man with the most intense eyes in Bollywood. He tries his best to make Maalik menacing, but he can’t even out-act the script’s predictability. His metamorphosed status of a guy next door to a guy with a gun is phenomenal, but you wish he had better attributes to chant.

Manushi Chhillar as Shalini: She is primarily there as an understanding anchor, someone that Deepak has to feel concerned about. Her romance with Ra seems more like a cup of chai without sugar, approximately in size, but not memorable.

Prosenjit Chatterjee as Prabhu Das: The seasoned actor brings gravitas, but his role is more “been there, done that” than “wow, what a villain!”.

Huma Qureshi as Mallika: She enters in attitude and style, but it is more of a garnish than food.

Saurabh Shukla as Minister Shankar Singh: No Bollywood gangster film is complete without a debauched pol, so Shukla comes in and does what he is best at.

Swanand Kirkire, Saurabh Sachdeva, Anshumaan Pushkar, and others complete the world, each having their own role in a large, known orchestra of crime and betrayal.

Maalik vs. Maalik: What’s New, What’s Not?

If you’re wondering whether Maalik (2025) is a remake, spiritual cousin, or just inspired by every gangster film ever, you’re not alone. The film takes a significant amount of influence from such classics as Satya and Vaastav, to attempt to put its twist on them. It is, unfortunately, also largely old wine served up in a somewhat shiny new bottle.

The difference? Rajkummar Rao has some rawness and restraint that isn’t easily seen in masala movies. Where earlier films went for loud, Maalik tries to be moody and atmospheric. However, the plot twists, betrayal, and downfall are also hackneyed like the dhishoom-dhishoom sounds. But you always want to see something new? Then you should instead have a look at your neighbor’s Netflix account.

The Great Mystery of Why Bollywood Adores Tacky, Predictable Scripts

Let’s get serious (but not too serious). And why, seeing as they have all the talent and coin that anyone could want, do they continue to release movies that could easily have been drawn on a napkin during a tea break? These are a few reasons served with a masala:

Formula Over Innovation: Bollywood adores a formula more than aunties gossiping over weddings. People didn’t believe a gangster movie would work at all, but once people buy it, okay, we have twenty of them now, right? The idea is: why risk something new when the old stuff still sells (or at least used to)?

Star Power vs. Story Power: Producers are convinced that, as long as you get a star in a movie, the viewer will flock to see it, no matter how ridiculous the plot. However, viewers are becoming more intelligent, and actors cannot resist a sinking ship.

Fast Work: Some films are produced quicker than instant noodles. The result? Half-cooked plots and characters that came off like they were reciting Wikipedia.

The OTT battle: Television series such as Panchayat and Mirzapur are dishing up new and unexpected storytelling twists, and Bollywood is revealing its old tricks. Songs and stunts are no longer what audiences desire.

Remake Mania: There is no use writing a new story when you can remake one, not having done the work of writing all new stories, when you can remove and spread a well-worn blanket. The remake mania in Bollywood is so great that actors themselves appear to be confused about the movie in which they work.

Audience Blame Game: When movies fail, sometimes filmmakers blame the viewers, saying that they do not get it. The audience may be weary of being fed the same meat on a Friday.

The Good, The Bad, and The Hilariously Predictable

Let’s break down Maalik in classic Bollywood style:

The Good: Rajkummar Rao is on fire. The non-leading role is also good. The artistic direction is excellent, and the immersion is overwhelming, especially in the 1980s-90s setting. Others make cutting remarks on monotony.

The Bad: People could tell where it was going in advance, as actors could. The movie is too long, with song and dance that were not necessary, but like Monday morning, it was dragging. The sentimental moments are rife as a mallet.

The Hilariously Predictable: Every time a character says, “Main sab theek kar dunga” (I’ll fix everything), you know things are about to go very wrong. The bad guys are cartoon, and the family melodrama seems to have been stolen out of a daily soap.

Final Verdict: Should You Watch Maalik or Watch Paint Dry?

If you’re a fan of Rajkummar Rao and want to see him flex his acting muscles, Maalik is worth a watch. Unless you need a strong dose of Candy Crush on your phone after the break, you may find yourself longing for a new, unexpected kicker aspect on the gangster drama. This movie serves as a lesson that even with the most capable actors, one can be ruined by a poor script.

It is time to wake up and smell the filter coffee, now, Bollywood. Viewers are prepared to hear new narratives, more intelligent story lines, and less deja vu. Until then, we’ll keep getting films like Maalik—predictable, tacky, but with just enough spice to keep us coming back for more (or at least until the popcorn runs out).

Table: Main Cast and Their Roles in Maalik (2025)

Conclusion: Bollywood, Please Try Harder!

Maalik (2025) is not a terrible film, but it’s not a great one either. It is a cinematic meal of leftover biryani- everything still tastes okay, but you can recall how good it was initially. Actors play their best, the environment is genuine, yet the plot is outdated. Bollywood is changing the audience. We desire stories that shock us, characters we can relate to, and endings that will not leave us groaning. In the meantime, we shall continue watching, and hoping, and mocking at your staleness, because when you deprive us of having fun at your predictability, what can we do about it?

And when you are next at the theatre, with your popcorn in hand, watching that hundredth display of a gangster achieving success and falling to rise again, you remember it is not your fault, it is the script. And maybe, just maybe, the real “maalik” (owner) of Bollywood’s future is an audience that refuses to settle for less.

Also Read: Friday Releases – What & Where Releasing in July 2025

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