Why Rajkummar Became A Gangster

'It's rare for an actor to find something new to break an image.'

The humble Kolhapuri chappal is having a cultural moment.

The hue and cry about Prada's 'new' leather sandal looking awfully familiar is still fresh.

Now the cherished Indian footwear gets a noteworthy presence on the poster of Maalik, which has Rajkummar Rao's massy hero wearing them in an interesting touch to his character.

A far cry from the haldi and mehendi of his last outing, Rajkummar gets into a rustic avatar as he fires up bullets and revels in gory action in a gritty gangster saga set in the Hindi heartland.

At the trailer launch of the film, Rajkummar concurred that Maalik is very much his image makeover.

"It's rare for an actor to find something new to break an image. I always look for such opportunities. That hunger to do something new and challenging is always there. I am glad that Maalik came to me, kyunki mujhe bahut mazaa aaya," he says.

Maalik reunites Rajkummar with his Bose: Dead/Alive Director Pulkit, best known for the Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Bhakshak.

"When we started out on Maalik, Pulkit said, 'Bhai, mazaa aayega', and that's what happened," he adds.

The Maalik trailer shows Rajkummar in the titular role of a north Indian gangster eyeing political dominance. In the process, he accumulates powerful enemies who want to destroy his reign.

Pulkit, who has also written the story, said that the core of Maalik is the "journey of power" and how far one can go to claim it.

WATCH: Is Rajkummar Rao trying to emulate Amitabh Bachchan's 1970s angry young man in Maalik? He answers:

Rajkummar made a dramatic entrance in a jeep at the event with an ostentatious display of fireworks, pellet drums, and men wearing gamchas, a trademark accessory up north. He was accompanied by leading lady Manushi Chhillar, whose character Shalini is described as "Maalik ki Mohabbat".

Manushi said she was not the "natural" choice for Maalik because no one has ever seen her in this kind of a character.

"I got the opportunity to test and that worked out," Manushi says, looking at Director Pulkit with a smile.

"There was a lot of prep. We worked at real locations. For me, as much as it might have been surprising for you to see me in this role, it was a surprise for me to be able to play this role."

WATCH: Why Manushi Chillar was nervous during Maalik

Rajkummar's gangster is pitted against Prosenjit Chatterjee, who plays a no-nonsense cop in Maalik.

Their on-screen animosity comes in stark contrast to their actual dynamic as Prosenjit heaps praises on his "younger brother" Rajkummar.

"He (Rajkummar) always makes us proud as an actor. He is a big star! I didn't want to miss this opportunity," Prosenjit says.

WATCH: Rajkummar on the most intense scene in Maalik

Maalik arrives in cinemas on July 11.