Malik Movie Review: An epic crime saga that churned out a brilliant political thriller, A Master-class in Filmmaking

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Nimisha Sajayan, Joju George, Dileesh Pothan, Vinay Fort

Directed By: Mahesh Narayan

Malik is a Masterclass in filmmaking. It takes inspiration from all the classic crime saga World Cinema as produced from Godfather to Gangs of Wasseypur and took to another level to create an edge of the seat political thriller.

The film begins with 15 minutes long uninterrupted sequence that introduces us to the characters and exposition of their world. We are introduced to  Ahammadali Sulaiman a.k.a Ali ikka who is the Godfather to Ramadapally. He has a past that made him the saviour for his people and now he leaves behind his past and is all set to go to Haj but destiny has something else in his fortune.

Mahesh Narayanan's Malik is a recognizable story. A little youngster's ascent in the realm of wrongdoing to ultimately turn into a guardian to the local area that he ensures, and the day his previous finds him. The direction of the plot is like Mani Ratnam's Nayakan. Here as well, the saint fights the dislodging of his kin and battles for their property rights. He goes rogue when it suits him, yet there is a cost to pay for that, and an adversary he had never envisioned.

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Yet, it is not necessarily the case that the two are similar movies. Not in the slightest degree. Mahesh's Malik has all the earmarks of being approximately founded on the Beemapally uproars of 2009 when the police unpredictably started shooting at the occupants and later asserted that it was done to control shared viciousness. 

Notwithstanding, the police adaptation has been countered by common liberties associations that have said that there was no public savagery in Beemapally and that the pardon was planted. The film starts with the disclaimer that it is an anecdotal story, however, there are such a large number of normal factors that associate it with Beemapally. Nayakan, then again, was propelled by the existence of Varadarajan Mudaliar, a Tamil wear who rose from Dharavi in Mumbai.

Almost all the gangster epics world cinema churns out is universal we have a saviour who tries to protect its people but pays a price for it. Here malik's biggest conflict is not the people but the politics which is owning the land by creating conflict among two communities and their biggest enemy is Malik.

Malik comes when strict polarization is a factor in virtually every significant political race battled in the country. Does it matter for normal individuals which divine beings are venerated the most when their lives and occupation are in question? It might make no sense except for the feeling of personality and local area that religion gives can't be excused daintily. 

What's more, that is the reason it has consistently been a card that the incredible have gone to when they wish to become puppeteers. Malik recounts the narrative of two networks, one Muslim and another Christian, living in closeness to one another (in one of the film's best scenes, Suleiman tells his companion David that apparently the sculpture of Jesus on the Christian piece of the town, is inviting individuals of Ramadapally with his broad arms) and how their lives – so far entwined because of their common work – scramble because of vested political interests.

This film is constructed as episodic and all the characters in the film have their own story and character arc and that's the strength of this film. All the supporting cast performances are brilliant.

Vinay Fort stands out the most he is almost the second lead, David reminds you of Aditya Srivastava's character as Badshah Khan who is been brainwashed to be against his won friend Malik and Vinay has portrayed the character with utmost honesty.

Others such as Joju George (playing Sub Collector Anwar), Dileesh, Indrans, Sanal Aman, Parvathy Krishna and others also deliver convincing performances, and this makes us stay invested in the film all through its lengthy runtime of 2 hours and 40 minutes. 

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The real hero of the film is director Mahesh Narayan who has brilliantly showcased the characters and surrounding with editing techniques and writing  he deserves all the Kudos for creating Malik and his world.

Malik is easily one of the best film of 2021 and its true cinema at all sense. Don't Miss it. Malik is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.