Bose: Dead/Alive (2017), a historical drama about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Maalik, a gritty action film, hail from dramatically different worlds. And yet, both are born from the mind of director Pulkit and brought alive by Rajkummar Rao. “In Maalik, Pulkit has gone on the front foot. He told me, ‘Bhai, we have to go all out in this one,’” begins Rao.   
     
Maalik, also starring Prosenjit and Manushi Chhillar, isn’t exactly what you expect from the actor. In his 15-year career, he has shown his penchant for realistic cinema — be it Shahid (2012), Newton (2019), or Badhaai Do (2022). How does a larger-than-life action entertainer about a gangster from Allahabad fit in? “People like it when an actor tries something new and breaks their earlier image,” Rao reasons. “While reading the script, I loved how gritty, raw, and rugged he was. I loved his rise to power — from being a helpless guy who comes from a low strata of society to becoming Maalik. I was offered action films before, but they didn’t excite me as I couldn’t connect with those stories. I saw a larger-than-life story in Maalik, and with Pulkit at the helm, I had to do it. While it’s a mainstream entertainer, it has a soul.”

Pulkit

Prepping for the character was taxing, mentally and physically. “I cannot wear a wig or fake beard. In Bose, I went half-bald as I didn’t want to wear a fake patch. Here, I bulked up, grew my hair and beard for a couple of months.” But becoming the gangster mentally was the tougher ask. “For me, preparing mentally is way more important than the physical aspect. For Maalik, I asked myself what the core of this character would be, and the answer was power. It took me some time to find that power inside me.”