Matka King Review: Vijay Varma, Gulshan Grover In An Engaging Watch On The Rise Of Betting In India

Title: Matka King

Director: Nagraj Manjule

Cast: Vijay Varma, Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Gulshan Grover, Siddharth Jadhav

Where: Prime Video

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The series starts off in 1960s Mumbai, where an enterprising cotton trader, who craves legitimacy and respect, starts a new gambling game dubbed 'Matka', that takes the nation by storm.

Actors’ Performances

Vijay Varma, as the cotton trader Brij Bhatti, portrays the kind of person at whom life throws all kinds of oddballs and curveballs, but it doesn’t perturb him; he always comes up with some solution. Varma’s character never gets rattled, instead coming up with unique ideas to make things work out, and that too in an honest manner.

Gulshan Grover, as Lalji Bhai, a powerful figure in the Mumbai gambling underworld, walks with a puffed-out chest, which is actually a trait Grover possesses in real life, if you ever notice him at events. If things don’t go his way, he suddenly switches, portraying his downright mean streak. He is the person whom you can easily hate.

Kritika Kamra, as Gulruz, a Parsi woman, has all the delicate characteristics associated with the character who’s been dealt a cruel blow by life’s uncertainties. I really like the conversation which happens between her and Varma during a chance encounter.

Sai Tamhankar is someone who easily blends into whatever role she is handed, in this case, the dutiful wife, who is affected by society’s taunts, and then later due to her husband’s disinterest in her.

Siddharth Jadhav, who works under Bhatti, is a good choice in his dual role as the narrator, as someone whom we used to predominantly associate with his comedic timing before.

Bhupendra Jadawat, interestingly, has a penchant for playing characters who have a guilty arc and starring in series where illegal business is the theme—like when we saw him last in Dabba Cartel.

And then there’s the actor who plays the dogged reporter exposing the gambling business, but is told that the news regarding Tiger Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore is more important for the paper!

Director Nagraj Manjule, who also wrote the script along with his co-writer Abhay Koranne, needs to be given full marks for making sure each and every one of the eight episodes has twists, turns, and new developments, keeping us interested throughout.

FPJ Verdict

Most of us born after the 80s seem to be unaware of the Matka King’s story, and this one makes an intriguing watch.