🎬 Maalik Movie 2025: Rajkummar Rao's Thriller Faces Slow Start Despite Big Hype
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| Maalik (2025) starring Rajkummar Rao opens to mixed buzz and slow booking; a gritty action film with emotional depth and political tones. |
Published: July 11, 2025
📉 Maalik's Advance Booking Underperforms
Despite a big star cast and active promotion, the new action film Maalik has started slow at the box office. As of Thursday night, only around 6,500 tickets were booked in top multiplex chains across India, according to trade sources. The Rajkummar Rao starrer is seeing less-than-expected traction for its opening day.
🎭 About the Film
Maalik is a gritty action thriller starring Rajkummar Rao and Manushi Chhillar. The film explores power, morality, and crime in a fictional world, where Rao plays a conflicted yet intense lead. Directed by Pulkit and backed by Junglee Pictures, the film aims to deliver a hard-hitting message without glorifying crime.
🎙️ Actor’s Take: "Not Glorifying Violence"
In a press interview, Rajkummar clarified that Maalik is not like Animal or Pushpa. He emphasized that the film doesn't glorify crime or gangsters. Instead, it's a social drama with an emotional backbone. "We are not here to glorify anything," he said, addressing comparisons with violent hits.
🙏 Bangla Sahib Visit Before Release
Before the film's premiere, the entire Maalik team, including Rao and co-star Saurabh Sachdeva, visited Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in Delhi to seek blessings. The spiritual gesture caught attention on social media and added an emotional layer to the film’s release.
📽️ Critical Buzz & Audience Reaction
While critics are calling Maalik a "performance-driven drama," early audience reactions remain mixed. Many praise Rao's intense acting but feel the film may lack the mass appeal of typical action thrillers. On the flip side, fans of realistic cinema may find it refreshing.
📊 Box Office Outlook
With soft advance booking numbers and stiff competition from other releases like Jaat Bhool Chuk Maaf, Maalik may need strong word of mouth to sustain. However, if Rao's past record is anything to go by, the film could pick up over the weekend.