Rajkummar Rao on playing a gangster in ‘Maalik': ‘He is driven by the quest for power'

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A human rights lawyer, a terrorist, a journalist, a tailor, a cricketer, a blind entrepreneur, a policeman, an honest government officer, a dishonest boyfriend, a fool in love, a braggart, a victim of a cosmic joke: Rajkummar Rao has played them all. But he hadn't played a ruthless gangster – until Maalik.
The upcoming Hindi action drama is set in Allahabad in 1988. Rao's character – bulked up and with a moustache and beard – declares that he's the kind of person who earns his living through bloodshed rather than hard work.
The film's co-writer and director, Pulkit, previously directed Rao as Subhas Chandra Bose in the series Bose: Dead/Alive (2017). Maalik 's cast includes Manushi Chhillar, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saurabh Shukla and Anshumaan Pushkar.
Maalik is a significant shift for an actor known for delivering layered performances ever since he began appearing in Hindi films in 2010. Apart from critical acclaim and awards, the Film and Television Institute of India alum has won over the box office, especially with the horror-comedy Stree (2018) and its blockbuster sequel Stree 2 (2024).
Rao is now rolling out a few films a year, apart from the odd web series. The 40-year-old actor has also set up a production company with his wife, the actor Patralekha. Kampa Films, named after Rao's mother Kamlesh and Patralekha's mother Papri, will roll out its first production, the comedy Toaster, on Netflix over the coming months.
Ahead of Maalik 's release on July 11, Rao spoke to Scroll about why he picked the film, what has changed for him professionally in recent years, and whether it's time to scale up or slow down. Here are edited excerpts from the interview.
What made you pick Maalik – was it the action theme, the opportunity to do something different?
This isn't the first time that somebody has offered me an action film. I had been approached for such films before, but I couldn't connect with the story for some reason or the other. The film can't just be action set pieces with a few scenes.
The story is the basic requirement of a film, right? Otherwise, I could be watching videos on YouTube. Maalik had a proper story – a beginning, middle and end.
Jay [Shewakramani], who is Maalik 's producer, is a dear friend. So is Pulkit. When I read the script, I found it to be very powerful. I loved the character's arc – he's a helpless, lower-strata guy who is told to be a certain way but then he becomes a rebel and decides to be his own master. Of course, I get to do some action, which is great.
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What did your preparations involve, apart from piling on the kilos and growing out your hair?
Every film has its own process. A film like Ludo or Stree won't require as much prep as Maalik or Shrikanth would.
With Maalik, the preparation started with the physical transformation. I beefed up because I wanted to feel strong. I want to look very different from whatever I had done till date. Of course, the beard and hair were a part of it, but there was also the internal process of finding the character's core, which is power. He is driven by power – the power he has within, and the external power that he is chasing.
I'm not the kind of guy who feels very powerful, where I just have to stand somewhere for people to look at me. To find that core was equally important along with the physical transformation. There had to be a lot of power from using the body, creating a dynamic aura.
At what point do you connect with a character? Do you have a sounding board?
I love reading scripts. Mostly, it's just me. It's the same with Patra [Patralekha]. But sometimes, if I feel that I need guidance, if there's an iota of doubt about whether a script is good or not, I make Patra read my scripts.
Once I have said yes to a script, I am on to the character. Then I read the script over and over again. For some reason, perhaps it's a blessing, I start seeing the character. This is his hair, this is how he walks, this is how he sounds. I start hearing the script as I read it and then I start following that path. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Comedy is about being in the moment, having fun within the scene with my co-actors. The more fun we have as actors, the more the audience enjoys the film. If you become serious or calculated, the performance becomes mechanical. In comedy, you have to be absolutely free of everything.
With dramas, you need way more prep. Shrikant was a biopic about a visually impaired character. I visited a blind school, where I spent many days as a silent observer, making mental notes, also taking down notes in my diary, recording the people there with their permission.
What was it that I wanted to take out of this experience and put into my work? Sometimes, you think of a lot of things but when you try them out, it may not work. Then you have to start afresh.
You have been an actor since 2010. Has your approach towards your profession changed over the years?
Not significantly. Earlier too, I was looking for exciting stories. What I have come to realise is that film is totally a director's medium. You are as good as your director. You can be the world's best actor, but if the director is not up to the mark, the film can never turn out to be good.
My decision now is mostly dependent on who is making the film. Of course, the story is still the basic requirement, and the script has to be there, but the people behind the project need to be at the top of their game.
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What role does a film's potential box office play in your decision-making?
Honestly, every actor wants the box office. That is the proof that people have paid money and gone to the theatres to watch a film. That is one of the biggest reasons that we make films.
So yes, I want every film to do well. But not every film does well, whether mine or anybody else's. There's no guarantee that a film that does well is good or a film that doesn't do well is bad.
I'm not chasing the box office, since nobody really knows what will work. The first Stree was made on a small budget, and we didn't expect it to make so much money.
I can't waste my energy thinking that I should do a film just because it might do big numbers. What I want is to choose scripts that people can relate to, that they can get excited about. I want to touch people, give them a good experience while watching a film.
Thinking about – or ignoring – a film's box office prospects is only one part of what a Hindi actor does nowadays. Actors also have to be adept with social media. How is your Insta game?
I don't actually do the social media game. I am the least active. I only use Instagram to share my work.
To be honest, I wanted to get rid of my Insta account. I even asked my team about whether I could quit Instagram. I was advised against it.
Handling social media surely wasn't part of your curriculum at the Film and Television Institute of India. Your classmates in the acting course that graduated in 2008 include Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma. Are you still in touch? Is there a '2008 Batch' WhatsApp group?
Yes, we do have a WhatsApp group, which is mostly to wish each other luck when a film is coming out or on birthdays. I do also bump into Jaideep and Vijay sometimes. Because we have spent our most wonderful years together, the connect will always be there.
Things started happening a little earlier for me [in terms of roles]. So I can always pick up the phone and say, listen, focus on this too, or don't do that. We have that right with each other.
You've been on a treadmill of sorts for the past few years. Do you feel like getting off at times?
Ideally, yes – I do want to take a break. I don't want to be continuously working for 365 days a year. In between films, you have to devote a month to promotions. I would honestly appreciate it if I could do just two films a year.
But sometimes, what happens is that a script like Maalik comes your way, and there's a great team attached to it. If I said no to the film, it would go to someone else and I would then feel, why didn't I do it? So I say, okay, let me do this one. That's how it turns out to be never-ending.
That said, there are no roles that I regret turning down.
As a producer, what will be your focus?
We are done with one film, Toaster, and we are shooting for the second one, which will be in theatres. The plan is to do quirky stuff, something that's a little out of the box, which we can't do otherwise maybe with other people.
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