‘Maalik’ Rules Over ‘Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan’

Indian actor Rajkummar Rao (Shahid, Aligarh) ventures into the commercial space of the angry young man on the celluloid with his latest Hindi release Maalik and the experiment has caught the attention of fans. After an average opening, the film closed its first weekend on a better note with nearly $2.5 million at the global box office. Meanwhile, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan had a damp opening weekend at the box office.

Rajkummar Rao’s Maalik closes first weekend below $2 million

Maalik had a rather underwhelming opening on July 11, Friday. In India, the film made nearly $570,000 on day one. On the other hand, the other Hindi release – Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan – could not even make it past $100,000 on the opening day at the Indian box office.

India box office: Maalik

Rao’s Maalik made an opening collection of $600,000 worldwide on Friday. The film saw an upward trend over the weekend, earning $2.5 million at the global ticket windows in its debut weekend.

Maalik grossed nearly $530,000 on day one in the Indian markets. It earned $1.2 million in two days and closed the first weekend below $2 million at the Indian box office.

Directed by Pulkit (Bhakshak), Maalik features Rao in the lead role of an underdog-turned gangster and Manushi Chhillar essays the role of his wife. Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee plays a cop in the film which stars Saurabh Shukla as a seasoned corrupt politician while Saurabh Sachdeva plays a businessman, and Swanand Kirkire plays a local politician.

Rao entered Bollywood as an experimental actor ready to bare it all and has graduated to a box office favorite with his avatars as the boy next-door from a typical Indian middle-class family. With Maalik, he charts new territory – one that granted nationwide stardom to many stars. Maalik defies all cinematic logic by the standards of Rajkummar Rao – the actor – but manages to sail past the landmarks of populist cinema.

In a film which fails to grant basics of human decency to the storyline, Rao shines through with sheer talent. His dedication, riding on an author-backed role, raises the film several notches higher. The same cannot be said about the rest of the cast, though it is an impressive one. Barring one – Sachdeva is as authentic as he gets in his role of a jealous and ambitious businessman. Surprisingly, even veteran actor Shukla is not at his best in Maalik.

Keeping the flaws aside, Maalik offers a good theatrical experience for Hindi cinema lovers. The gory action sequences are as gritty as a typical Hindi crime drama. Some of the best moments land when Rao shares the screen with Shukla and Sachdeva. Interestingly, the film also offers a peek into the socio-political climate of the region, bringing in layers of caste and power dynamics.

India box office: Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan falls behind Maalik

Directed by Santosh Singh, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is a romantic saga featuring Vikrant Massey (12th Fail, Criminal Justice) and debutant Shanaya Kapoor in lead roles. With a lack of better publicity, the film could not even cross $200,000 in Indian markets in the opening weekend. The film saw a disappointing opening on Friday, July 11, making mere $50,000 at the Indian box office and the collections remained below $60,000 in two days. The film closed the first weekend around $120,000.

Globally, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan had an equally dismal box office run making less than $250,000 worldwide in three days at the ticket windows. The poor performance of the romantic film allowed Maalik to shine through the Indian ticket windows, though neither film posted impressive numbers in the opening weekend at the box office.

Co-written by Mansi Bagla, director Singh and Niranjan Iyengar, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan begins on a promising note – a dedicated theatre actor boards a train blind-folded in her bid to prep for an audition. A blind artist meets her on the way and the way their chemistry unfolds forms the crux of the story. Vikrant Massey plays the blind musician who falls for the girl.

The premise warranted a layered and deep love story. Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, however, descends into the abyss of illogical and cold exchanges. The love story is not warm enough to touch hearts. The mesmerizing and visually appealing frames in the film are unable to compensate.