By
RUBY ZAIDI
The teaser of Rajkummar Rao’s much-awaited film Maalik was unveiled earlier yesterday. Rajkummar in his gangster era promises to be a gritty spectacle to watch out for.
Set against the backdrop of Allahabad between 1987-1989, Maalik follows Rajkummar Rao as he embarks on a ruthless killing spree, showing no mercy.
The teaser promises intense action sequences, umpteen gunfights, and a gritty gangster drama. But at the heart of it all, it’s the rugged and fierce Rajkummar Rao who truly steals the spotlight. Is Maalik based on the Atiq Ahmad and Chand Baba beef? It seems yes!
Rajkummar Rao’s next film, titled Maali K, is a gangster action thriller film.
The teaser opens with a gripping scene, Rajkummar walks down a corridor, rifle in hand, as people run helter-skelter in panic. Moments later, a bloodied and bruised Rajkummar violently thrashes an opponent with a metal container.
He then drags the lifeless body through the street, as the onlookers watch in stunned silence.
Justifying the brutality, he declares, “Hume farak nahi padhta hai ki logo ko kya lagta hai ki hum villain hai, hero hai. Humari kahani mei hum hero hai. (I don’t care whether people think I’m a villain or a hero. In my story, I’m the hero.”
The teaser opens with a grim voiceover in the background. It says, “Samaj me do tarah ke log hote hai. 1 joh pasina bahake apna hak ka roti kamata hai aur 1 jo khoon pasina bahake apna hak ka roti chheen leta hai. Hum dusra waala hai. (There are two kinds of people in society.)
One who earns his bread through hard work and sweat, and the other who sheds blood and sweat to snatch what he deserves. I am the second kind.”
Rajkummar is seen performing a series of edge-of-the-seat action sequences, which is a refreshing break for the actor after starring in back-to-back roles set in small towns.
In Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Chand Baba, whose real name was Shauq Ilahi, was a prominent gangster who also served as a municipal councillor.
He was known for leading a gang, and Atiq Ahmed, another prominent gangster-turned-politician, was associated with him. Atiq Ahmed later distanced himself from Chand Baba after he began his political career.
Later, Atiq and Chand Baba had a great fight., It is said in one such beef that Chand Baba was killed with the speculation that the Police helped Atiq Ahmad to finish the big threat Chand Baba.
