Renowned filmmaker Nagraj Popatrao Manjule is now stepping into the world of long-form narrative with the Prime Video series Matka King. The series, which he has directed and co-written with Abhay Koranne, stars Vijay Varma in the lead role and is slated for OTT premiere on April 17. Nagraj Manjule recently spoke about the writing process for the show, and Vijay’s dedication to the project.
In an official statement, the Sairaat filmmaker said about Vijay, “What I truly admire about him is how deeply he thinks about his character. He constantly asks questions, wanting to understand why his character behaves a certain way in each scene. We would often sit together to discuss scenes before shooting. Since I like to leave some room for spontaneity and last-minute changes, Vijay’s questions pushed us beyond our limits and helped us bring out the best in every scene, because Matka King is a game of details. He worked with great patience and poured his heart into the role. Now he truly looks like a hero in the series.”
Talking about Vijay’s character Brij Bhatti, “I have seen a lot of people like Brij. When we were in the writing process, I realised he is an intelligent man, almost like a scientist. He invented a game, and to create it, you needed daring. And yet, at his core, his strength is his honesty.”
Besides Vijay, Matka King features Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Bhupendra Jadawat, and Gulshan Grover in key roles. The ensemble cast includes Bharat Jadhav, Girish Kulkarni, Jamie Lever, Kishor Kadam, Cyrus Sahukar, Arpita Sethia, Sambhaji Tangade, Ishtiyak Khan, Sanjiv Jotangia, and Simran Ashwini.