Movie: Matka
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Vyra Entertainments, SRT Entertainments
Cast: Varun Tej, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Nora Fatehi, Naveen Chandra, Saloni Aswan, Satyam Rajesh, Kishore, Ravi Shankar, Ajay Ghosh, and others
Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar
DOP: A. Kishor Kumar
Editor: Karthika Srinivas
Production Designer: Kishor Kumar Manne
Stunts: Vijay, Ram Sunkara, Nikhil
Produced by: Vijender Reddy Teegala, Rajani Talluri
Written and Directed by: Karuna Kumar
Release Date: November 14, 2024
“Matka," with its compelling theme and Varun Tej's energetic promotion, has generated significant anticipation. Despite Varun Tej's recent string of unsuccessful films, this movie has managed to capture attention.
Let’s see if the film has enough substance to mark Varun Tej’s comeback.
Story:
Teenager Vasu (Varun Tej) arrives in Vizag with his mother in search of a livelihood. However, he ends up imprisoned for a crime. After his release, he returns to his mother and brothers and takes on various jobs to earn money.
One of his bold actions leads to a friendship with Nani Babu (Kishore), a local politician, while also sparking a rivalry with a don KB (John Vijay).
With Nani Babu’s support, Vasu accumulates wealth. Using his clever and fearless attitude, he establishes Matka, a gambling enterprise. His wife Sujatha (Meenakshi) urges him to quit the illegal business, but he refuses. Around the same time, the government begins efforts to crack down on him.
What challenges will he face next?
Artistes’ Performances:
Varun Tej proves he can handle this type of role well. As he portrays Vasu, transitioning from an ambitious young man to a matka king, he effectively captures the character's body language and delivers his dialogues convincingly. However, his performance becomes repetitive after a certain point, much like his character. Nevertheless, his efforts and performance are commendable.
Meenakshi Chaudhary, as Varun Tej’s wife, has limited screen presence.
Nora Fatehi appears as a glamorous seductress, while Naveen Chandra plays a typical CBI officer role.
Kishore impresses in his role as a politician. Ajay Ghosh delivers an acceptable performance, and Saloni plays a significant character.
Technical Excellence:
The makers have invested well to capture the authentic look and feel of the bygone era. The production design and overall production values are strong. However, GV Prakash Kumar’s music is a weak point in the film.
Cinematographer A Kishor Kumar skillfully navigates the film’s varied timelines, though the editing could have been sharper. The film feels overly lengthy.
Highlights:
Varun Tej’s performance
Production values
Drawback:
Formulaic story and narration
Flat and Lengthy episodes
Boring songs
Analysis
"Matka" refers to an earthen vessel in Hindi. The gambling game, which involved placing playing cards in a vessel and predicting numbers, became known as matka and was a popular pastime among Indian men around fifty years ago. The life of Ratan Khatri, a key figure in popularizing this form of gambling, served as the inspiration for Varun Tej's character.
Although this game is central to the film's story, it barely features in the plot. Aside from about 20 minutes, Matka gambling plays a minimal role in the narrative.
The story begins with Vasu’s childhood and follows his rise as a don-businessman. The film reaches its main premise only at the intermission, when Vasu discovers matka, introduces it in Vizag, and expands it across India.
By the time we see him rise to the position of matka king, we’re already at the intermission, feeling as though we've watched an entire film due to the sluggish pacing.
The first half is flat, with few high points, and the hero's rise as a matka king lacks a compelling arc. Following the success of KGF, it has become common in period films like this to include Indira Gandhi and depict the prime minister directing officials to rein in the matka king.
In the second half, the storyline involving Varun Tej's wife wraps up quickly, shifting to the usual hero’s journey of settling scores. However, this revenge plot is predictable. The only engaging scene in the second half involves Nora Fatehi and Varun Tej.
Before the climax, two songs are presented in quick succession, highlighting the director's weak control over the narrative flow.
While Varun Tej delivers a sincere performance, his character lacks heroic appeal. Even the puli-meka story he narrates to his daughter adds little to the film’s impact. The film concludes in a formulaic manner.
Overall, Matka tells yet another story of an anti-hero's rise, a theme we've seen repeatedly. The hero’s characterization, the director’s narrative approach, and the film as a whole feel predictable, making it a dull affair from start to finish, with a slow and flat pace.
Bottom line: No Maja
