Overview of the Matka Movie Plot and Location
Touted as a period drama by its makers, Telugu movie Matka directed by Karuna Kumar treads on the world of gambling and the concept of power. Although in its marketing material it claims to emulate that high time of cinema of late 1950s to early 1980s but rather unfortunately the period drama has pegged its narrative to the height of mediocracy as a simple crime drama. While Varun Tej (who plays ‘Vasu’) is depicted based on an actual person called Ratan Khatri or the ‘Matka King,’ it also glorifies the dark side of the industry of illegal gambling such as its intricacies and hazards, the movie tries too much to advertise gambling. Desperate times led Varun across to the harsh environment of Matka but the film does not settle well with the rest of the actors especially due to weak plot and screenplay.
Story Foundation: The Ascent of Vasu as well as the Origins of Matka
The character of Vasu, shaped by Ratan Khatri, reflects the complexities of a gambler who has to traverse his way through the maze of illegal betting. Khatri was the first person to popularise the matka betting concept which was fused into a gambling medium that initially originated from the trading of cotton and later turned out to become an important part in Indian economy during the 1970’s. In this case, Karuna Kumar twists the road map of the character from that of a Mumbaikar to a native of Visakhapatnam in order to suit the Telugu film industry. Vasu in Varun Tej’s eyes, a young man who is trying to strike a balance between his existence and the highlife, has a prominent role in the story but the plot, however, does not do much to make his character progress from being a common gambler to an iconic and notorious character.
A Predictable Rags-to-Riches Experience
CBI officer, played by Naveen Chandra, recounts Vasu’s journey of deception to eventually rising to the top of the underworld in Matka. The portrayal of Vasu as a refugee in the 1950s Burma sung by Kishor Kumar’s black and white cinematography gives depth to the plot. He is seen progressing in life due to his harsh conditions as a child in a juvenile home and being impoverished. These events in a noticeable way are the foundation upon which his later ambitions and picks stand, but the rest of the movie still follows a predictable storyline like it is bound on rails.
Supporting Characters: Allies, Enemies And Sequence Breaks
Matka is no different as Vasu also meets many of such characters who appear to be an impediment or a progression for him through the film. As Vasu goes through more intense events, the love scene is acted out by Meenakshi Chaudhary as Sujatha, Vasu’s love interest, who performed well despite having less time on-screen. Vasu’s feeling is shown by the movie’s romance scenes but the regret in this is that the time used for these was used instead to showing him gambling, a stark contrast on how the character should have been presented. Other supporting characters such as Satyam Rajesh and Ajay Ghosh and John Vijay had minor roles that offered nothing memorable; thus, leaving the audience wishing for more from these alliances and conflicts.
When it comes to the underbelly of Visakhapatnam, both politics and crime seem to source out in every attempt one makes to understand it.
The film industry has never been scarred by the presence of crime onscreen, in fact Matka seems highly promising and tantalizing due to the political power struggles that the inhabitants of Visakhapatnam tackled whilst coming into the criminal underworld. When trying to sell the film, the creators decided to use ‘a boy from the streets’ trope instead which is devoid of any depth but rather offers the audience a fluff piece that is entertaining as well as fails to offer an insight into the tectonic shift in crime and politics that transpired around the city of Visakhapatnam. This trend seems to not only be inflicted on the people but is apparent in the history of India as well as events like the Emergency and demonetization are treated as mere talking points.
Speaking of opportunity, Varun Tej has plenty as he seems to have great command with the part of Vasu. Tej devotes himself to this role, emphasizing Vasu’s awkwardness and later putting on a show of utter confidence, resulting in a tremendous first impression. The tenderness and warmth of Tej Vasus’s eyes captures the stillness and quietness of mind even at its most troubled moments before suddenly exploding out due to external conflicts. However, the idea of him evolving into a more menacing version of himself does not sit comfortably with Rohit. Even though the situation demands one, an attempt by Tej to put on an alluring charm or even a menacing air is limited by the writing.
Music, Cinematic Artistry, and the Last Thoughts
Matka aospreys itself to tambaram thanks to the Gv prakash kumars music, but unfortunately the richness that is intended is deeply lacking in the film as the songs never seem to fit in the narrative, instead at times throw the tempo of the film off balance. On the other hand, the cinematography by Kishor Kumar is able to create an aura by using retro visuals and imagery which helps in knitted viewers to a different time period. Despite this, the narrative is full of good opportunities that were squandered, the pre climax and climax, and plot twists and character revelations were all unsurprising, therefore the pathos of the film did not have the desired magnitude. For the followers of crime drama and biographies, Matka makes them feel as if they are watching a half-baked version of a very popular genre.
Conclusion: A captivating story with an attempt to be creative but fell flat
Matka, while trying to tell the morally ambiguous story of an Indian Gambler does not push to deliver something that is remarkable or worth its meaning. Despite the films great set pieces and period accuracy or even Varun Tej’s honest performance, it is held back by a poorly written plot and poorly developed characters. Matka will be disappointing to most who wish to watch gripping and cerebral crime films as the film fails to go beyond the very basic and shallow aspects of the genre.
