Varun Tej in ‘Matka’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In director Karuna Kumar’s Telugu film, a character wonders how a business venture that doesn’t require much investment works. potWe sell hope and buy people’s faith, explains the hero (Varun Tej as Vasu), whose character is inspired by gambler Ratan Khatri, also known as the ‘Matka’ king. His statement and the train scene before him highlight the potential of gambling and how it can turn ordinary citizens into drug addicts, highlighting an otherwise predictable narrative.

Khatri is known for introducing Matka, a game of gambling which is a spin-off of the bets placed by traders on cotton trading every day. The game became popular throughout India and is said to have had an impact on the economy in the 1970s. A fictional narrative inspired by the story of this ‘Matka’ king, treated like a biopic, there is tremendous scope for drama, a discussion of good versus evil, with characters who switch sides for personal and political gain. .

Karuna Kumar, who also wrote the screenplay and dialogues, characterization of his hero along the lines of Khatri, but re-imagines the story in Visakhapatnam, not erstwhile Bombay, for better adaptability to Telugu cinema. He chose the serious Varun Tej to portray the lead character and enlisted a talented technical team to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the late 1950s to early 1980s. Filled with nightclub settings, there is scope to get to the bottom of crime in the port city and explore its connection with politics. However, what unfolds on screen is an oft-repeated rags-to-riches story, with almost every step described, leaving no room for surprises.

pot It begins in 1982 when a CBI officer (Naveen Chandra) revisits Vasu’s visit, and describes him as a born criminal. Cinematographer Kishore Kumar uses reflective black and white frames while depicting Vasu’s early life from the time he arrived as a refugee from Burma in the late 1950s. The origin story of a gambler/gangster is usually shaped by the circumstances he faces, mostly driven by poverty. For Vasu, it is a matter of survival, both as a refugee and as an inmate of a juvenile home. These parts lay the foundation of what is in the store.

All the incidents that show how Vasu will use every opportunity to survive and wait for his turn to come along the way, happen on familiar lines. The real story begins when Vasu comes out of jail as a young man and tries to earn a livelihood.

Several characters emerge, some as Vasu’s allies and others who thirst for his blood when the time is right. These sections attempt to present Vasu as a character who has not completely lost his morality. For example, the romance that blossoms between him and Sujata (Meenakshi Choudhary) is characterized by dignity and mutual respect. It would have been interesting to know more about their journey together. Instead, the film moves through their relationship in its eagerness to explore gambling. Meenakshi shines in her role, makes the best of the written part. I wish the film had utilized the potential of Vasu’s character to present his personality better.

As the film progresses, neither Vasu’s meteoric rise to wealth and power nor his subsequent losses make for an entertaining viewing experience. For anyone who has seen gangster dramas that are presented as biopics godfather, nayakan, government or other similarly structured films, pot Doesn’t offer anything new. It ends up being a pale shadow of such compelling gangster stories. Even a scene in which Vasu tries to talk about whether he is good or bad is dull, despite what he does next. As soon as he enters the room and encounters an important character, his intentions can be guessed. Varun Tej is honest in portraying Vasu’s quest for survival in his younger days and internalizes the swagger and intensity in his later years. However, in the writing he never found the scope to portray the gambler as the dreaded character he could have been. The film sporadically mentions Vasu as a ringmaster capable of making tough decisions, and Vasu himself narrates the story of being pushed to the brink of survival, but none of this is used for smart storytelling. It is not done for.

pot It has several supporting characters – Satyam Rajesh and Ajay Ghosh as associates, John Vijay in another cardboard-ish villain character and Nora Fatehi as a political baron’s glamorous aide – yet none of them manages to make an impact. .

Even the mention of the Emergency and demonetization of high denomination notes in the mid-1970s makes no difference to the flat narrative. The songs (by GV Prakash Kumar) are misplaced and add to the boredom. The pre-climax and climax parts fail miserably as the main characters reveal their entire gameplan. Since the audience is aware of the characters’ shifting loyalties, there isn’t much to invest in.

pot ends up as a lackluster period costume drama and the only saving grace is that it doesn’t promise a sequel.

(Matka is currently running in theatres)