New Delhi: Rajkummar Rao is stepping out of his comfort zone and into chaos with the gripping teaser of his upcoming action-thriller Maalik, released earlier today. Set in Allahabad, 1988, the film marks a bold transformation for the actor—trading his small-town charm for brutal vengeance.

The teaser opens in chilling silence: Rao walks down a corridor, rifle in hand, sending crowds into a frenzy. Moments later, we witness his unflinching savagery—a bloodied, battered Rajkummar mercilessly beats an enemy with a metal container, then drags the corpse through the street, unfazed by terrified onlookers.

As the screen pulses with gunfire, gritty confrontations, and intense action, Rajkummar’s voice delivers the knockout line:
“Hume farak nahi padhta hai ki log kya sochte hai… humari kahani mei hum hero hai.”
(I don’t care if they call me a villain. In my story, I’m the hero.)

A powerful voiceover sets the film’s tone:
“Samaj me do tarah ke log hote hai… Hum dusra waala hai.”
(There are two kinds of people—those who earn with sweat, and those who take with blood and sweat. I’m the latter.)

Directed by a yet-unnamed filmmaker, Maalik promises to be a dark, raw gangster saga, a huge leap from Rajkummar’s recent comic and small-town roles in Stree 2, Bhool Chuk Maaf, and Vicky Vidya….

Fans and critics alike are already calling Maalik the “grittiest role of Rao’s career.”