"Matka" is a Pure Mass Commercial Film: Director Karuna Kumar

"Matka" is a Pure Mass Commercial Film, Varun Tej Delivers One of His Finest Performances: Director Karuna Kumar

Mega Prince Varun Tej's highly anticipated film "Matka" is set to hit theaters on November 14th. Directed by Karuna Kumar, the film is produced by Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala and Rajani Talluri under Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments with a high budget. Meenakshi Chaudhary and Nora Fatehi star as the female leads. The film's teaser and trailer have created a massive buzz, and the music composed by star music director GV Prakash Kumar has become a chartbuster hit.

Director Karuna Kumar recently shared insights about the film in a press meet.

Where did the story of "Matka" originate?

The idea for "Matka" came to me during a family wedding function in Vizag, my mother-in-law's hometown. We were all chatting, and I learned that one of my wife's relatives worked as a bookie for the Matka gambling game. That's when I first heard about Matka. During our conversation, I also discovered that Vizag used to have nightclubs and cabarets. I had always associated Vizag with the Jagadamba temple, so learning about the history and culture of Vizag's One Town area was quite fascinating. From there, I started researching the origins of the Matka game. Initially, I wanted to write a short story about it called "Withered Flowers," but as I wrote, I realized it had the potential for a full-fledged film. So I wrote a treatment, which became the first draft. What you see today is the 12th draft.

Did you have the scope to leave your mark in this film?

We have amazing stories and literature here. No one has made great films like we have. We were the first to make a movie like "Mala Pilla." Telugu soil is rich with great literature, stories, and culture. We have more deeply rooted stories than Tamil or Malayalam cinema. "Matka" will be told in my style of storytelling, in a way that will entertain everyone. It's a pure commercial film with a stylish filmmaking approach.

What was the reason for telling the story of "Matka" on such a large canvas, starting from childhood?

It's a journey through a man's life. Vasu comes to Vizag from Burma as a refugee. Many powerful people in Vizag at that time were also from outside. The crime, glamour, and cosmopolitan culture of Vizag back then are all part of the story.

Many people in today's generation don't know about Matka. What precautions did you take to make it understandable?

Watch the movie, and you'll understand it 100%. We double-checked everything and filmed those scenes very carefully. How Matka originated and how it was run will be very clear. One interesting point in the story for me is how they managed to send a single number to the entire country in the days before cell phones. I still don't know how they did it. If I were Ratan Khatri, I would have done this and that – that's how I approached the script.

What kind of performance did Varun Tej give as Vasu?

I just finished locking the film. This is one of Varun Tej's finest performances. Even after 20 years, people will remember "Matka." Varun is a very cool person and worked with great dedication.

How much of Ratan Khatri's life did you incorporate into "Matka"?

We didn't take Ratan Khatri's life story. They're already making a web series about him. It has to be a web series; it wouldn't work as a film. The only similarity is that Ratan Khatri came to Mumbai from Pakistan, and in our film, Vasu comes to Vizag from Burma. That's it. There used to be a Burma Colony in Vizag with all sorts of people.

How many days did you shoot for? Did you stay within budget?

We shot for 79 days. I've always completed all my films within the planned budget, and we did the same for "Matka."

What will "Matka" be like technically?

We did thorough pre-production work for this film. Everything was sketched out. While a scene was still on paper, I decided what kind of lighting and lenses we would use. We first made miniatures of every set and then recreated them as a montage. I processed over 3600 images for this film. Everything is very detailed. The art director created some amazing sets for this film. Kishore Kumar's camerawork will be very special, and the visuals will be stunning.
GV Prakash Kumar connected with the story within two minutes of me narrating it. He said the story was next level. The Diwali films he scored, "Amaran" and "Lucky Bhaskar," were successful. "Matka" will be a hat-trick. This film has more scope for powerful music than those two films, and he utilized that scope to the fullest. He gave amazing music.

About the villains' roles in the film?

In films like this, the circumstances and politics are the villains. The mind games that carry those elements are what make the villains. Kannada Kishore and John Vijay have such roles. There are mostly gray characters in the film.
Ajay Ghosh has a very surprising and positive character.
The characters of Meenakshi, Nora, and Naveen Chandra are crucial to the story.

You're a fan of Chiranjeevi, right? Did you take any references from him for Varun Tej's looks?

How can I make a film without Chiranjeevi garu's reference? (laughing) There are references to him.

About Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments?

I narrated the story to Vyra Entertainments. I had done my previous film with SRT Entertainments, so they liked my work and voluntarily joined this project. The producers were very supportive and worked with a passion to deliver a good product.

About your next projects?