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Matka marks the return of Varun Tej returning with a period action-drama matka which was directed by Karuna Kumar who was famous for his earlier movie Palasa. Here, Varun is in this crime story cum self-redemption drama , in a role which is completely different than what he has done before on screen, in an attempt to startle audiences with a different movie telling experience. Here’s a detailed examination of how Matka performs on audiences and box office.
Plot Overview
The main character in this plot is a young boy named Vasu, who is a refugee from Burma and is trying to settle down in Visakhapatnam. Unfortunately due to the turn of events, as a teenager Vasu is compelled to murder a person and gets himself incarcerated. Narayana Murthy who is the jail warden there guides him severely, and hencenarayana decides to brace himself and become a highly competitive assailant who will help him survive against all odds. Once released, he begins to look for jobs in the profitable Poorna Market and ends up being hired by a coconut seller called Appalareddy.
Vasu’s prominence Market grows as he fights fierce local gang tensions and earns the respect of rival gang leader Nanibabu. He is ambitious and smart enough to then involve himself in the matka gambling business, where he is able to build a great name for himself. This is the stage in which he begins carving a pathway toward his rise in the underworld, which catches the eyes of law enforcement authorities including the CBI, who now view him as a major danger. This provides the context for Vasu’s attempts to struggle in order to retain his position and face oncoming challenges from other gangs, law enforcement as well as from his life so far.
A Well-Known Story About An Underdog Achieving Success
The storyline might remind the audiences of Pushpa and KGF, where a common man comes into the crime world and builds a criminal empire. The idea of an underprivileged teenager setting foot in the world of crime and subsequently becoming an influential figure is fascinating to say the least. But Matka is devoid of the same level of gripping conflict and the sort of emotional intensity that made those movies worth watching. While the matka gambling game is mentioned as the main focus of the film, it does not pick up until halfway through the movie, and then it does not offer the same excitement or intensity as one would hope. The events in the film take place in a pattern rather routinely, without creating any dynamic obstacles or requiring the central character to respond in uncommon ways, which makes the whole narrative a little bit too detectable.
Storytelling and Techniques
As for Matka, even though it is a story already known, it is not particularly impressive. Factors in his life which encourage him to become a crime boss are quite diverse, but it is their authenticity that is at stake here. His rise from a lower class prisoner half living on the outskirts of Poorna Market to swiftly installing himself into the gangsters pantheon is too cinematic for believable force. His struggles, or rather the lack of any value able to be categorized as a struggle or ever any sort of an obstacle, render the effort into producing lots of suspense a huge waste of resources. The matka gambling parts, which were there to pump some tension suspense and excitement into the thickening plot in every sense of the word, left a relatively calm and balanced plot behind.
Climax and Critical Moments
As one moves to the second half of the film, the battle only gets fiercer when the CBI starts making it a point that Vasu throws an end to his gambling business which seems to affect the economy on a global level. But then again, the potential of the film when it’s meant to get conflict none the less seem to bring the same outcome as the one prior. Vasu’s antagonists plans, as well as the CBI’s plans to get him off his power seem rather vague, and this sadness only cumulates very well in the entire scuffle. A rather interesting scene was Vasu telling a story to his daughter about how an evil man made it a point to do evil things to his sister, which in turn wasn’t showing when it was meant to add context to the audience. The final part of the film where Vasu outruns an endless gangle with nothing but a six shot revolver, It would have been rather believable if it wasn’t Vasu.
Cast and Performances
The role of Vasu must be played by Varun Tej and he performs the role well for an aged character who looks very much like Kamal Hassan’s in Indrudu Chandrudu. Tej also performs well during the action sequences especially when the scenes require any form of intensity from him. Yet another supporting character is sujata, played by Meenakshi who seems off key in the plot especially her love story with Vasu. Another supporting actress is Bare Prasus who plays Sofia as Nora Fatehi and is said to have a nice dance number but still plays a smaller role. Cameos include supporting characters of Kishore, John Vijay, Naveen Chandra and Ajay Ghosh which makes the film more diverse and interesting but their roles do not have any substance or significance towards the main plot.
Direction and Technical Aspects
Karuna Kumar is known to tell unique stories in Palasa but we see different in Matka as he quite hardly gathers the points he sets out to achieve in the film. What begins as an interesting concept towards Matka gambling fails to capture the audience’s attention at the latter stages and key scenes are poorly directed. The second half of the film is where the real confusion begins with the characters of the story and the events they partake in failing to intersect or mesh well. One of the stronger points in the series is the soundtrack as contributed by GV Prakash which helps set the mood and welcomes the viewer to certain scenes. The film captures the essence of the time through its art direction and cinematography and gives the viewers an eye catching experience. The overall quality of visual effects and sound effects were impressive and gave the film an edge.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
The performance of Varun Tej
Well choreographed and shot action
Weaknesses
A cliched plot
Poorly executed matka gambling
Second half and conclusion felt incoherent and rushed.
Final Verdict
Matka attempts to be a realistic gangster drama, but it simply doesn’t have a good plot, or plot that is innovative enough. While it is true that Varun Tej acted well and the technical aspects were okay, the film lacked suspense and depth which otherwise gives a good feeling. Although the matka gambling context is an interesting one, that storyline never fully developed and vice versa made for a very disappointing experience.
