Nagraj Manjule and Vijay Varma discuss the making of ‘Matka King’ and its portrayal of 1960s Mumbai

Nagraj Manjule, renowned for his Marathi blockbuster Sairat, has teamed up with Vijay Varma for the upcoming Hindi series ‘Matka King’, streaming on Prime Video from April 17. The eight-episode series features Varma as Brij Bhatti, a middle-class cotton trader in 1960s Mumbai who reinvents gambling with new rules benefiting both operators and players. Although Brij bears resemblance to real-life matka innovator Ratan Khatri, the series focuses more on the social context of the game and its players’ lives, exploring their joys, struggles, and dreams. Manjule and co-writer Abhay Koranne delve into how Mumbai’s socio-economic conditions influenced matka gambling, reflecting on the city’s growth and its political and economic landscape. Varma highlights Brij’s honesty as his defining trait, aiming to establish trust with viewers from the first episode, contrasting with his previous darker roles. The show portrays Brij as calm, pragmatic, and emotionally controlled, emphasizing the game over personal gain. Both Manjule and Varma, outsiders to Mumbai’s entrenched systems, bring a personal perspective to the series, shaped by research and collaboration with concept writer Ashish Aryan. The series aims to present a nuanced, realistic view of gambling and Mumbai’s evolving society during the 1960s and 1970s.