Media Magick

Ashir Azeem is known for entertaining his audience. Right from the days of Dhuwaan, he is labeled as the patriot and genuine entertainment provider to Pakistanis. Maalik is Ashir Azeem’s directorial debut and the movie is amongst the most anticipated movies of Pakistni cinema. Let’s see what Maalik has to offer to its viewers.

Maalik is a tale of every citizen, in one way or the other. It revolves around an SSG officer who starts a private security company, after going through a major tragedy in his life. It is about the grudge between a feudal and a righteous school master. And it is also about a family which escapes from Afghanistan and settles in Karachi. There comes a point when all these lives intersect one another, that’s what makes Maalik an engaging tale of love, patriotism, power, revenge and feudalism.

Performance wise, Ashir Azeem is very calculated. He gives exactly what the character required. Hassan Niazi is competent and gave a stellar performance. Adnan Shah Tipu is very effective. Tipu adds lighter mood to the movie and some of his scenes re very well executed. Sajid Hassan and Muhammad Ehteshamuddin are good in their respective roles. By the way, there is Farhan Ali Agha in the movie as well, but his character is almost a filler, nothing substantial attached to it.

Music of Malik leaves great impression. The title track and Maula are picks of the lot. But the remaining songs and the climax song “Nazria” are good too. The cinematography of Maalik is beautiful and brilliantly done. Direction wise, Maalik is impressive. Ashir Azeem proves again after so many years that he is an able captain of the ship and can sail in rough tides with competence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkCCqM_RzZE

The only flaw in Maalik is editing. The film could have been chopped a little, plus there’s an abrupt ending, which makes audience question about many things which weren’t clearly answered in the movie. Apart from these two points, Maalik is a very nice attempt for the Pakistani cinema. It is a movie which is packed with patriotism, romance, action sequences and message. Watch Maalik and take ownership, that’s what the movie is all about.