Matka King Web Series Review — Vijay Varma Leads Amazon Prime Drama

Suchin Mehrotra reviews Matka King, Amazon Prime Video's eight-episode crime drama from creators Nagraj Manjule and Abhay Koranne, set in 1960s–70s Bombay and inspired by the life of the late Ratan Khatri. Vijay Varma plays Brij Bhatti, a cotton trader who launches a lottery-style gambling empire — picking three cards every night at 9pm — and asks the central question: is Brij Bhatti a good man? The show frames its protagonist not as a gangster but as a sincere entrepreneur and champion of the little guy. As Suchin notes, Matka King takes time to find its feet, struggling in early episodes with a familiar morally-murky biopic template, green-screen driving sequences, poorly staged crowd scenes, and an overworked voiceover. It carries big Scam 1992 energy but rarely captures the atmosphere or tension of its underground gambling world. Vijay Varma is in fine form, with strong support from Sai Tamhankar as wife Barkha, Bhupendra Jadawat as brother Lakshman, a scene-stealing Siddharth Jadhav as Dagdu, Girish Kulkarni as a journalist with a personal axe to grind, and Kritika Kamra as Gulrukh — the south Bombay widow who becomes the Matka Queen. Nagraj Manjule's signature caste-and-class fire flickers only in stray moments, but the personal drama shines brightest. That's the THR India bottomline. #MatkaKing #VijayVarma #AmazonPrimeVideo #NagrajManjule #CrimeDrama #Lykstage #LykstageVideo #LykstageCreator #LykstageCommunity