Mega Prince Varun Tej is awaiting the release of Matka arrives on the 14th of this month. Meenakshi Chaudhary and Nora Fatehi played the heroines in this period action drama helmed by Karuna Kumar.
The director previously made thought-provoking message-oriented movies. However, he says, Matka is a pure commercial entertainer.
“The kind of rooted stories we have are unique compared to Tamil and Malayalam cinema. Matka is a commercial film that will entertain everyone with my style of storytelling. It is a highly stylish film with commercial elements. The story that is about the journey of Vasu reflects the culture of Vizag city, crime, glamour, and cosmopolitan lifestyle of that time."
Karuna Kumar explains that today's audience may not be familiar with the game of Matka, but he ensures that every scene was carefully crafted to provide a comprehensive understanding of its origins and evolution.
"We made sure to double-check every detail before filming. The movie will show how the game started and how it progressed. One aspect that particularly fascinated me was the concept of how numbers were sent across the country before the advent of mobile phones. The logistics of that still intrigue me. I often wondered how I would have acted if I were Ratan Khatri, and from that thought process, I built the script."
However, Karuna Kumar clarifies that the story is not based on Khatri’s life. "There is already a web series being made on his life, and frankly, his story is not suited for a feature film."
As a long-time fan of Chiranjeevi, Karuna Kumar also reveals that there are references to the Megastar in the film. "In fact, Varun Tej's look in Matka was inspired by Chiranjeevi," he adds.
