Warning: Major spoilers for The Paradise follow.
Every mass-action movie needs someone for the hero to fight.
In The Paradise, that man appears to be Shikanja Malik.
Played by Mohan Babu, Shikanja is the brutal feudal ruler who dominates Paradise and keeps the marginalised Savaari community under his control.
He humiliates them.
He kills those who challenge him.
He terrorises Jadal as a child.
And when the Savaaris finally attempt to gain legal recognition, he tries to stop that too.
So it is easy to describe Shikanja as simply:
the villain of The Paradise.
But that description misses the most interesting thing about him.
Shikanja is not dangerous only because he is violent.
He is dangerous because he controls a system.
And that is why his real defeat does not happen when someone finally becomes strong enough to fight him.
It happens when the Savaaris no longer need his permission to exist.
Who Is Shikanja Malik in The Paradise?
Shikanja Malik is the feudal power controlling Paradise, the Secunderabad settlement where the Savaari community lives.
Mohan Babu plays him as a man accustomed to unquestioned authority.
For years, the Savaaris have lived without proper legal recognition.
They struggle to access basic rights and government benefits available to recognised citizens.
Shikanja benefits from that vulnerability.
A community without institutional protection is easier to control.
If they cannot depend on the state, they remain trapped inside the local power structure.
And Shikanja sits at the top of that structure.
That makes him more than a gangster.
He behaves almost like a private government.
Why Are the Savaaris Afraid of Shikanja Malik?
Because Shikanja’s power is not theoretical.
It is enforced through violence.
People who challenge the Malik family can be brutally punished or killed.
The Savaaris therefore face two connected problems.
The first is obvious:
Shikanja can physically hurt them.
The second is much deeper:
They lack the legal power to protect themselves from him.
That combination is what makes his rule effective.
Fear keeps people obedient.
Lack of recognition keeps them vulnerable.
Shikanja needs both.
What Does Shikanja Malik Want?
Shikanja’s goal is not complicated.
He wants the existing hierarchy to continue.
He is powerful because Paradise belongs to a world where his authority matters more than the rights of the people living under him.
If the Savaaris become legally recognised citizens, that balance begins to change.
They can gain greater access to:
education,
healthcare,
government institutions,
documentation,
and legal protection.
In other words, recognition gives them alternatives to Shikanja.
And a ruler becomes much weaker once his subjects discover that they do not need him.
Why Does Shikanja Hate Jadal?
Their conflict begins long before adult Jadal becomes a rebel.
As a child, Jadal refuses to behave according to the hierarchy Shikanja expects.
A confrontation involving Shikanja’s son Vikram Malik — also known as Chota Malik — becomes a defining moment in Jadal’s life.
Shikanja responds brutally.
Jadal is tortured and humiliated.
A degrading insult about his mother is forcibly tattooed onto his arm.
Eventually, Jadal spends 14 years in prison.
That history matters because Jadal does not initially oppose Shikanja as a political revolutionary.
The conflict is personal first.
Jadal hates the man who destroyed his childhood.
Only later does that personal hatred become connected to the larger struggle of the Savaaris.
Shikanja Tries to Decide Who Jadal Is
The tattoo scene tells us almost everything we need to know about Shikanja’s idea of power.
He does not simply punish young Jadal.
He marks him.
The purpose is humiliation.
Shikanja wants the boy to carry an insult permanently on his own body.
The message is essentially:
I have the power to tell you what you are.
That same logic operates on a much larger scale with the Savaari community.
Jadal is denied control over his personal identity.
The Savaaris are denied control over their collective identity.
Shikanja stands above both.
That parallel becomes crucial by the ending.
Why Is Shikanja More Than a Typical Movie Villain?
Because his greatest weapon is not a gun.
It is dependency.
A conventional villain might control territory because he has more soldiers.
Shikanja’s power goes further.
The people living under him have been pushed outside the institutions that could otherwise protect them.
That means his authority becomes part of everyday life.
The Savaaris cannot simply defeat one group of henchmen and become free.
They need something stronger than Shikanja’s local power:
recognition by the state.
That is why Sammakka’s struggle is ultimately more dangerous to Shikanja than Jadal’s fists.
Sammakka Is Actually Shikanja’s Most Dangerous Enemy
This is one of the most interesting reversals in The Paradise.
Jadal looks like Shikanja’s obvious enemy.
He is physically powerful.
He is angry.
He kills.
He fights.
He can attack the Malik family directly.
But Sammakka is trying to do something more destructive to Shikanja’s power.
She is trying to make him irrelevant.
For years, she fights for the Savaaris to receive legal identity.
If she succeeds, Shikanja loses something violence cannot easily restore:
his monopoly over their lives.
Jadal can threaten the ruler.
Sammakka threatens the system that allows the ruler to exist.
Why Does Shikanja Try to Stop the Savaaris’ Registration?
Because legal recognition changes the balance of power.
The Savaaris’ struggle is not simply about obtaining a piece of paper.
Recognition determines whether they can participate fully in the institutions around them.
Shikanja understands what that means.
Once the Savaaris gain an official identity, his ability to treat them as invisible outsiders becomes much harder to maintain.
So he attempts to sabotage the registration process.
His most brutal move is also one of the movie’s most symbolic.
He makes sure the Savaaris cannot use their thumbprints.
The implication is horrifying.
If the system requires your body to prove your identity, Shikanja will attack the body itself.
Why the Thumbprint Plan Reveals Shikanja’s Real Character
Think about the logic behind it.
Shikanja is no longer simply saying:
“I am stronger than you.”
He is effectively saying:
“I can prevent the state from recognising that you exist.”
That is a much larger form of power.
The Savaaris can survive his violence and still lose.
They can fight back and still lose.
They can hate him and still lose.
Because as long as they remain legally invisible, the structure that makes them vulnerable remains intact.
This is why the thumbprint attack matters more than another action scene.
It reveals exactly what Shikanja is defending.
Not merely his house.
Not merely his family.
A hierarchy.
Why Sammakka’s Toeprint Defeats Shikanja
And then the movie finds its answer.
A government official allows Sammakka to use her toeprint instead.
It is an almost absurdly small action compared with the enormous violence surrounding it.
But symbolically, it destroys Shikanja’s strategy.
He attacks their thumbs.
Sammakka uses her toe.
He tries to block the procedure.
She finds another way through it.
He tries to keep an entire community invisible.
They become recognised anyway.
That is the exact moment when Shikanja truly loses.
Jadal Does Not Need to Kill Shikanja to Defeat Him
This is one of the smartest ideas in the ending.
A conventional mass-action climax might require Jadal to beat Shikanja in one final enormous fight.
The hero kills the villain.
The audience cheers.
The story ends.
But The Paradise ultimately gives Shikanja a more appropriate defeat.
He discovers that the Savaaris have succeeded.
They have gained the recognition he tried to prevent.
His system has failed.
Shikanja then shoots his own father and himself.
Jadal therefore does not need to deliver the final killing blow.
Shikanja is alive long enough to understand that he has already lost.
Why Does Shikanja Kill His Father?
The film’s ending links Shikanja’s collapse to the destruction of the old order he represents.
His authority is not merely personal.
It is inherited.
The Malik family represents a generational structure of domination.
That is why Shikanja killing his father before killing himself can be read as more than an act of despair.
The hierarchy has reached the end of its line.
The older generation cannot preserve it.
Shikanja cannot preserve it.
And the Savaaris have finally escaped the condition that made that hierarchy possible.
The family remains powerful until the people beneath it acquire another source of power.
Once that happens, the Malik order collapses from within.
Is Shikanja Malik Based on a Real Person?
There is no strong basis for treating Shikanja Malik as a straightforward portrait of one specific historical individual.
The Paradise is a fictional story set against a recognisably social and political landscape.
Shikanja functions more effectively as a representation of feudal authority.
He embodies a system in which:
land,
social status,
violence,
family power,
and institutional exclusion
combine to determine who matters.
That is more important to understanding the movie than searching for a single real-life “Shikanja Malik.”
Why Mohan Babu Works So Well as Shikanja
Even viewers who criticised The Paradise frequently noticed Mohan Babu’s presence.
That makes sense.
Shikanja does not need to move like Jadal.
He does not need an extreme physical transformation.
His power comes from authority.
Voice.
Stillness.
Age.
The sense that other people have spent years being afraid of him.
This creates an interesting contrast with Nani’s Jadal.
Jadal’s power has to be built.
Shikanja enters the story already possessing his.
That difference makes their confrontation more interesting than a simple strong-man-versus-strong-man battle.
Why Some Viewers Thought Shikanja Was More Imposing Than Jadal
This became noticeable in the immediate audience reaction.
In the major Reddit review thread for The Paradise, one highly upvoted early reaction argued that Mohan Babu’s entrance and screen presence were stronger than Nani’s.
Other viewers also praised Mohan Babu while criticising the screenplay around him.
That tells us something important.
Shikanja’s authority works almost immediately.
The audience does not need twenty minutes of explanation to understand that this man is dangerous.
Mohan Babu brings that history with him.
The irony is that several critics then felt the screenplay did not use him enough.
Was Shikanja Malik Wasted in The Paradise?
This is a legitimate criticism.
Shikanja is conceptually one of the movie’s most important characters.
He represents the system Jadal and Sammakka are fighting.
He is responsible for Jadal’s childhood trauma.
He dominates the Savaaris.
And his defeat defines the climax.
Yet several reviews complained that Mohan Babu disappears for significant stretches of the movie or becomes underdeveloped in the second half.
That creates a strange imbalance.
The movie gives Shikanja enormous symbolic importance without always giving the character enough dramatic development.
So the idea of Shikanja may sometimes be stronger than Shikanja as a fully written human being.
Shikanja and Vikram Malik Represent Two Generations of Power
Shikanja’s son Vikram — Chota Malik — is important for another reason.
The Malik system is not supposed to disappear naturally.
It reproduces itself.
The father controls Paradise.
The son seeks political power.
That suggests an evolution.
Old feudal authority does not necessarily vanish when democracy arrives.
It can simply change clothes.
Private dominance can become political dominance.
The family that once controlled people through fear can attempt to preserve that influence through formal politics.
That makes Vikram’s political ambition more than a subplot.
It shows how systems of power try to survive.
Independence Did Not Automatically Free the Savaaris
This is perhaps the biggest political idea underneath The Paradise.
India is independent.
But the Savaaris are still not truly free.
National independence does not automatically eliminate every local hierarchy.
A marginalised community can live inside a democracy while still being excluded from the practical benefits of citizenship.
That is the world in which Shikanja thrives.
He occupies the space between:
formal freedom
and
lived freedom.
The country may have changed.
Paradise has not.
Why Legal Identity Is More Powerful Than Revenge
Now we can understand why the ending matters so much.
Imagine an alternate ending.
Jadal kills Shikanja.
The audience celebrates.
Credits roll.
What happens to the Savaaris tomorrow?
If they remain legally unrecognised, another Shikanja can eventually appear.
Another landlord.
Another political boss.
Another man capable of exploiting their invisibility.
Killing one tyrant does not necessarily destroy the conditions that produced him.
Legal recognition begins to change those conditions.
That is why the Savaaris’ victory is bigger than revenge.
Shikanja Loses Twice
By the end of The Paradise, Shikanja suffers two different defeats.
First, he loses to Jadal’s resistance.
The child he once humiliated grows into someone capable of challenging the Malik family.
His attempt to break Jadal fails.
Second, he loses to Sammakka’s persistence.
This is the more important defeat.
The Savaaris become legally recognised despite his efforts to prevent it.
His power over their identity disappears.
Jadal defeats the man.
Sammakka defeats what made the man powerful.
Shikanja’s Defeat Completes Jadal’s Tattoo Story
There is also a beautiful connection to Jadal’s tattoo.
When Jadal is a child, Shikanja literally writes an identity onto his body.
He attempts to define the boy through humiliation.
At the end of the movie, that power has reversed.
Shikanja can no longer define Jadal.
He can no longer define Sammakka.
And most importantly, he can no longer define the Savaaris.
The people he treated as socially disposable receive legal recognition.
Meanwhile, Jadal learns from Sammakka that his real name is Sarakka.
The movie therefore ends with identities being reclaimed on two levels:
one man
and
one community.
Is Shikanja the Real Villain — or Is the System the Villain?
This is where I think The Paradise becomes more interesting than its conventional hero-villain structure suggests.
Shikanja is clearly a villain.
He makes choices.
He inflicts cruelty.
He is responsible for violence and oppression.
So the film does not absolve him by blaming “the system.”
But the story also demonstrates that removing one cruel individual is not enough.
Shikanja can dominate Paradise because a larger social structure leaves the Savaaris vulnerable.
That means the movie contains two villains:
Shikanja the man
and
the conditions that allow a Shikanja to rule.
Jadal can fight the first.
Sammakka spends her life fighting the second.
Why the Ending Doesn’t Need a Bigger Jadal vs. Shikanja Fight
Some viewers understandably wanted a larger final physical confrontation between Nani and Mohan Babu.
The film spends so much time building their hatred that a giant final fight seems inevitable.
And from a pure mass-cinema perspective, that expectation makes sense.
But thematically, Shikanja’s actual ending is more appropriate.
Imagine him dying during an action sequence.
His final experience would be physical defeat.
Instead, he lives long enough to discover that the people he spent years suppressing have escaped his control.
That is psychological defeat.
Political defeat.
Social defeat.
And finally personal defeat.
The villain loses before he dies.
Why “Paradise” Is an Ironic Name
There is another reason Shikanja matters.
The settlement is called Paradise.
But for the Savaaris, it is anything but paradise.
They live under fear.
They lack recognition.
They face violence.
They are treated as outsiders.
Shikanja represents the contradiction contained in the title.
A place can be called Paradise by the people who control it while functioning like a prison for the people at the bottom.
Once the Savaaris gain the ability to determine their own future, the word “Paradise” can finally begin to mean something different.
Shikanja Malik Explained in 30 Seconds
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who is Shikanja Malik? | The feudal ruler who controls Paradise and oppresses the Savaari community. |
| Who plays Shikanja? | Mohan Babu. |
| Why does he hate Jadal? | Jadal challenges the hierarchy Shikanja expects the Savaaris to obey, beginning in childhood. |
| What did Shikanja do to young Jadal? | He brutally punished and humiliated him, including forcing an insulting tattoo onto him. |
| Why does Shikanja oppose Savaari registration? | Legal recognition would weaken the system that allows him to control them. |
| What happens with the thumbprints? | Shikanja attempts to prevent the Savaaris from using them for registration. |
| How do they defeat that plan? | Sammakka is allowed to use her toeprint instead. |
| Does Jadal kill Shikanja? | No. After learning the Savaaris have succeeded, Shikanja shoots his father and then himself. |
| What does Shikanja represent? | Feudal authority and a system that keeps marginalised people dependent and legally invisible. |
| Why is his defeat important? | The Savaaris do not merely defeat a ruler; they gain an identity that makes his form of control harder to reproduce. |
FAQ
Who is Shikanja Malik in The Paradise?
Shikanja Malik, played by Mohan Babu, is the feudal ruler who dominates Paradise and keeps the Savaari community under violent control.
Is Shikanja Malik Jadal’s father?
No. Pre-release fan theories speculated about hidden family connections, but the movie does not reveal Shikanja as Jadal’s biological father.
Why does Shikanja hate the Savaaris?
His authority depends on maintaining the existing hierarchy. Legal recognition would give the Savaaris rights and institutional access that reduce their dependence on his power.
Why does Shikanja hate Jadal?
Jadal challenges Shikanja’s authority from childhood and later becomes the physical force fighting against the Malik family’s domination.
Does Jadal kill Shikanja Malik?
No. Shikanja ultimately shoots his father and then himself after learning that the Savaaris have successfully gained the recognition he tried to prevent.
Why does Shikanja stop the Savaaris from using thumbprints?
He is attempting to sabotage their effort to establish legal identity. Sammakka ultimately bypasses the obstacle by using a toeprint.
Who plays Shikanja Malik?
Veteran Telugu actor Mohan Babu plays Shikanja Malik.
Is Shikanja Malik based on a real person?
The film does not establish him as a direct portrayal of one specific historical individual. He works primarily as a fictional representation of feudal power and social domination.
Why is Shikanja important to the meaning of The Paradise?
Because he represents more than individual cruelty. His power depends on the Savaaris remaining vulnerable and unrecognised, which is why their successful registration becomes his true defeat.
The Real Meaning of Shikanja Malik
Shikanja believes power means deciding what other people are allowed to be.
He decides where the Savaaris belong.
He decides how they should live.
He decides what happens when they disobey.
He even tries to write an identity directly onto young Jadal’s body.
For most of Jadal’s life, that power appears absolute.
Then something changes.
Not because Jadal becomes stronger.
That matters, but it is not enough.
Something more dangerous happens.
The Savaaris become recognised.
Suddenly, Shikanja is no longer the only authority capable of determining their future.
The community he treated as invisible becomes visible to the state.
The people he tried to keep outside the system finally enter it.
And the boy he tried to define eventually learns his real identity from his mother.
That is why Shikanja’s final defeat happens before his death.
His body is still alive.
His system isn’t.
Jadal can defeat a man.
Sammakka achieves something harder.
She makes the man unnecessary.
And for someone like Shikanja Malik, there could be no greater defeat.
More About The Paradise
→ The Paradise Ending Explained: Jadal’s Real Name, Sammakka’s Death and the Final Victory
The full ending breakdown explains Sammakka’s toeprint, Jadal’s real name, the Savaaris’ legal recognition and Shikanja Malik’s final fate.
→ Jadal Tattoo Meaning in The Paradise: Why He Has That Mark
Why did Shikanja force an insulting tattoo onto young Jadal, and why does Jadal continue to carry it as an adult?
→ The Paradise Chapters Explained: What Do They Mean?
From “Womb of Scars” to “Womb of War,” the chapter titles reveal how the movie wants us to understand Jadal’s transformation.
→ Nani in The Paradise: Is He Really Miscast as Jadal?
Why did Nani’s transformation into Jadal divide Telugu movie fans — and what does the film’s box-office success say about the debate?