All posts tagged: Matka

Jamie Lever calls Matka King a make-or-break moment in her career

Jamie Lever calls Matka King a make-or-break moment in her career

Published by Webster

With the second season of Matka King announced, Jamie Lever isn’t certain what will happen to her character Sulabha Rao, who was put behind bars by the end of the Vijay Varma-led opening season. But she knows one thing for sure, courtesy creator and director Nagraj Manjule. “While filming the first season, Nagraj sir told me, ‘Sulabha ko toh jail se bahar nikaalna padega,’” she recalled. Jamie Lever in the series Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

Vijay Varma set to return with ‘bigger game’ in Matka King season 2; Vidya Balan expresses excitement

Vijay Varma set to return with ‘bigger game’ in Matka King season 2; Vidya Balan expresses excitement

Published by Parlour News

After the strong response to Matka King Season 1, Prime Video has officially renewed the show for a second season. Starring Vijay Varma in the lead role, the crime drama became one of the platform’s biggest streaming successes in recent years. Announcing the renewal on social media, the OTT platform hinted that the next season would be even bigger, leaving fans excited about what lies ahead. Vijay Varma’s Matka King renewed for season 2. Matka King renewed for season 2 On Thursday, Prime Video shared a new poster featuring Vijay Varma holding playing cards with the number “2” on them. Along with the poster, the streaming platform wrote, “Shuffling the cards for season 2.” The announcement comes after the impressive performance of Season 1. According to Prime Video, the series became the most-watched new scripted show on the platform in the last two years. It also trended in the Top 10 across 37 countries and reached the number one spot in 17 countries within its opening week. Several celebrities reacted to the announcement. Vidya Balan …

Did Matka King bring Ratan Khatri’s ties with real Bollywood star to life? How Vijay Varma show blends fact with fiction

Did Matka King bring Ratan Khatri’s ties with real Bollywood star to life? How Vijay Varma show blends fact with fiction

Published by Parlour News

Matka King, the newest show from the Prime Video stable, is currently enjoying great success on the platform. It has become the most-watched Indian show on the streamer in the last two years, beating some rather bigger names. A lot of it has been due to the buzz the show generated with its premise – the tale of a gambling baron from when Mumbai was Bombay. And even as the makers have maintained the plot is fictional, the story of Brij Bhatti (the protagonist) borrows heavily from the rise and fall of the original matka king Ratan Khatri. Matka King stars Vijay Varma as the titular gambling baron, modelled after Ratan Khatri. One episode borrowed from Khatri’s life is his love for Bollywood. After he established a fledgling matka business in Bombay in the 60s, Ratan Khatri wanted to diversify his businesses. He began frequenting film sets and even financed several films in the 70s. The show presents one such film, slightly fictionalising the episode, but keeping the real-life inspiration intact. Spoilers for Matka King …

Aamir Khan lauds Vijay Varma’s performance in Matka King, says ‘Ratan Khatri’ is a role he would have loved to portray

Aamir Khan lauds Vijay Varma’s performance in Matka King, says ‘Ratan Khatri’ is a role he would have loved to portray

Published by Parlour News

The buzz around Matka King continues to grow, with the series drawing strong appreciation not just from audiences but also from several prominent names in the film industry. Following its premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 17, actors Aamir Khan and Vicky Kaushal, along with filmmaker Karan Johar, have shared their reactions on social media. (Also read: Matka King review: Vijay Varma hits the jackpot, but this templated Nagraj Manjule show never places a risky bet ) Aamir Khan all praise for Matka King, says Ratan Khatri is a character he would have loved to play. (Instagram) Aamir Khan on playing Ratan Khatri Taking to Instagram Stories, Aamir Khan Productions shared a note congratulating the team behind the show while highlighting its central character. In the message, Aamir revealed that Ratan Khatri is a role he would have loved to portray, adding that he has been hearing strong word-of-mouth about the series. He also mentioned that he plans to watch the show soon after the release of Ek Din. Vicky Kaushal adds the show …

What to watch on OTT: Assi, Matka King and others | Web-series News

What to watch on OTT: Assi, Matka King and others | Web-series News

Published by Parlour News

4 min readApr 20, 2026 10:13 AM IST What to watch on OTT: Anubhav Sinha-directed Assi & Vijay Varma-starrer Matka King, here’s a list of recent OTT releases. Assi Zee5 Directed by Anubhav Sinha, Assi is a hard-hitting courtroom drama, Assi follows a lawyer (Taapsee Pannu) who takes on a brutal rape case, confronting not just the crime but the systemic apathy surrounding it. In a striking moment, the film underscores a grim reality—nearly 80 rape cases reported in a single day—amplifying the urgency of its narrative. It traces the journey of a survivor and her partner (Kani Kusruti and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), whose lives are shattered by violence, as they navigate trauma, societal judgment, and an unforgiving legal system. Assi features an ensemble cast including Revathy, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, and Seema Pahwa. It will be available for streaming from April 17. Beef S2Netflix Beef returns with a new cast and a new beef, as a Gen Z couple witnesses an alarming fight between their millennial boss and his wife. …

Matka King review: Vijay Varma show lacks zest and sharpness | Web-series News

Matka King review: Vijay Varma show lacks zest and sharpness | Web-series News

Published by Parlour News

Matka King review: ‘Matka King’ is loosely based on the infamous exploits of real-life cotton trader Ravi Khatri, who created a highly addictive gambling game out of the humble earthen pot in the Bombay of the 60s. Vijay Varma plays Brij Bhatti, whose sharp brains and an endless capacity to keep his eye on the end result, refuses to labour under his canny seth (Gulshan Grover) when push comes to shove: slowly but steadily, his efforts take him out of his chawl, where he lives with his younger brother Lakshman (Bhupendra Jadawat), wife (Sai Tamhankar) and little boy, to spiffy mansions and fancy boudoirs of the rich and famous. Co-writers Manjule and Abhay Koranne take eight overlong episodes to tell their tale, set during one of the country’s most tumultuous eras. And that, right there, is the problem: the storytelling lacks zest and sharpness. You want to tell me about a man who made his fortune by holding out fragile hope to those who had so little, whose so-called principles of truth-telling, underlined at every …

Matka King review: Vijay Varma hits the jackpot, but this templated Nagraj Manjule show never places a risky bet

Matka King review: Vijay Varma hits the jackpot, but this templated Nagraj Manjule show never places a risky bet

Published by Parlour News

Matka King Director: Nagraj Manjule Cast: Vijay Varma, Sai Tamhankar, Kritika Kamra, Gulshan Grover, Siddharth Jadhav, Girish Kulkarni Rating: ★★.5 There is a scene in Nagraj Manjule’s Matka King where the titular gambling kingpin Brij Bhatti (Vijay Varma) is being apprised of the risks his new venture has. The debonair risk taker chuckles and delivers a one-liner about how he can manage it. One almost expects him to mouth ‘Risk hai to ishq hai’ line from Scam 1992. The set-up, vibe, and beat are all so similar that you cannot help but feel that if the protagonists were swapped, not much would change in the two shows. But at least Scam 1992 had originality on its side. Matka King, despite being entertaining and engaging, is a testament to how similar and templated Indian OTT titles have become of late. The sameness has crept into the ‘hatke’ platform, just like it did with films. And if an auteur like Nagraj Manjule is also not untouched and unblemished by formula, then is there truly any hope left? …

How Game of Thrones inspired Sairat director Nagraj Manjule to finally make his OTT debut with Matka King | Regional News

How Game of Thrones inspired Sairat director Nagraj Manjule to finally make his OTT debut with Matka King | Regional News

Published by Parlour News

Filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, the director behind hits such as Fandry, Sairat and Jhund, says his foray on OTT with Vijay Varma-starrer Matka King wasn’t a calculated move but a creative shift after hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones showed him the unique potential of long-form storytelling. “There was no such thing as to whether I should do it or not to do it (make OTT show). When this idea came, I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ When I met Sid (Siddharth Roy Kapur, producer) sir, he said he was also thinking of this subject. We were already working on it with Ashwini ji (Sidhwani, producer) and Ashish ji (Aryan, writer). So, we worked on it together, Amazon liked it very much, and the work started,” Manjule told PTI in an interview. The Sairat director said Game of Thrones, the hit HBO drama based on GRR Martin’s books, was the first OTT show he watched during the lockdown and it changed how he viewed storytelling. “Many people told me to watch this show (Game of Thrones). …

How Game of Thrones’ success led Nagraj Manjule to helming Matka King with Vijay Varma

How Game of Thrones’ success led Nagraj Manjule to helming Matka King with Vijay Varma

Published by Parlour News

Filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, the director behind hits such as Fandry, Sairat and Jhund, told PTI his foray into OTT with Vijay Varma-starrer Matka King wasn’t a calculated move but a creative shift after hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones showed him the unique potential of long-form storytelling. Vijay Varma, Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke in stills from Matka King and Game of Thrones. How Game of Thrones led to making of Matka King Nagraj said, “There was no such thing as to whether I should do it or not to do it (make OTT show). When this idea came, I was like, ‘Let’s do it’. When I met Sid (Siddharth Roy Kapur, producer) sir, he said he was also thinking of this subject. We were already working on it with Ashwini ji (Sidhwani, producer), Ashish ji (Aryan, writer) and me. So, we worked on it together, Amazon liked it very much, and the work started.” The Sairat director said Game of Thrones, the hit HBO drama based on GRR Martin’s books, was the first OTT …

Matka King trailer: Vijay Varma builds a high-stakes gambling empire in gripping 1960s Bombay saga | Web-series News

Matka King trailer: Vijay Varma builds a high-stakes gambling empire in gripping 1960s Bombay saga | Web-series News

Published by Parlour News

Matka King trailer: Amazon Prime Video has unveiled the trailer of Matka King, an upcoming period drama led by Vijay Varma, offering a first look at a high-stakes story set in 1960s Bombay. Created and written by Abhay Koranne, the series is created, written, and directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule. The trailer introduces viewers to Brij Bhatti (Vijay Varma), a sharp cotton trader in post-Independence Bombay with dreams of building a better life. What begins as a bold idea soon snowballs into a gambling empire, Matka. But as the stakes rise, so do the consequences, hinting at a story where ambition and power come at a steep price. Fast-paced and layered, the trailer teases an intense narrative driven by desire, risk, and survival, leaving one lingering question: will Brij’s empire thrive or collapse under its own weight? The series features a strong ensemble cast including Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Bhupendra Jadawat, and Gulshan Grover, with Bharat Jadhav, Girish Kulkarni, Jamie Lever, Kishor Kadam, Cyrus Sahukar, Arpita Sethiya, Sambhaji Tangade, Ishtiyak Khan, Sanjivv Jotangia, …