India, July 9 -- Breaking the type is an actor's dream. Even someone like Rajkummar Rao, known for the variety in his body of work, says that he wants to surprise the audience. The trailer of his upcoming film, Maalik, has certainly managed the job. Rajkummar, the poster boy of tier-2 city slice-of-life stories, is playing a ruthless gangster in this gore-filled action film. Ahead of the film's release, Rajkummar sits down with HT to talk about the film, his career, and more.

Maalik is Rajkummar's first entry into the mass action genre, which has even lured the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee in the last couple of years. Talking about seeing himself being presented in a larger-than-life manner on screen, the actor says, "It is...