BOTTOM LINE
Not Worth the Bet
RATING
2/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 39m
What Is the Film About?
Vasu (Varun Tej) is sent to juvenile jail for a crime as a child. A police officer takes him under the wings there and raises him as a rowdy who does petty criminal activities for money. One thing leads to another and this small-time criminal becomes a mafia kingpin in the Matka business.
What are the personal and professional problems Vasu faces due to his illegal work? Did his criminal background eventually catch up with him? The journey to the end of this phenomenal rise of Vasu is the movie’s basic plot.
Performances
Varun Tej takes up the most challenging role of his career. It offers him multiple shades to perform as an actor and, also don various getups highlighting life’s different stages age-wise.
The effort for the role is visible from the start. Varun Tej has done his best, no doubt. There is nothing to complain about. But, despite the visible ‘efforts’ there are no standout moments that highlight the act or make it a memorable one. There is a scene towards the end where the character narrates his story to a child, it’s a good one. For the last aged character he plays, he closely resembles his father, Naga Babu, in looks.
Meenakshi Chaudhary plays a namesake heroine. She doesn’t have much to do in the movie. Apart from the basic stuff, there is nothing worth mentioning as an actor on her part.
Analysis
Matka, directed by Karuna Kumar, who previously directed films like Palasa 1978 and Sridevi Soda Center, this time picks a simple and predictable plot that needed a fresh presentation to break the routine cliché.
Matka begins by establishing Vasu’s life and quickly moves to his rise. Whether it’s his struggle or his growth, at no point does the writer—who is also the director—challenge himself to bring out something impressive. The proceedings just move on flatly, as if there’s no aim at all.
Even the crucial turns, where Vasu decides to announce Matka after playing the game in a train, seem interesting. But what follows, such as the PM of the country worrying about the money flowing in the country, comes off as funny without building a tight narrative to support it.
Even the female characters, like Meenakshi Chaudhary, are half-baked. The brief love track or the family affair that should generate some emotional depth to the plot is a complete miss.
However, the setup looks perfect and authentic, which helps the film and makes the first half barely passable.
The second half begins with a family conflict, but the director never establishes any family bond to generate even a bit of emotion.
The ideas feel tiring; for example, after what happens to Meenakshi Chaudhary’s character, the director chooses to place a song to bring back her memories, as if he had already built some emotion. This shows the misguided judgment that went into it.
Surprisingly, at no point does the director make use of a single crucial scene that could effectively elevate the proceedings. For example, Naveen Chandra finding loads of money couldn’t be simpler.
On top of all the ongoing dullness, the songs and their placements are terrible. Towards the end of the film, within just ten minutes, two songs are placed, testing the audience’s patience even further. But here and there, we are treated to some engaging scenes.
Overall, Matka is a lengthy, flat game that bores for the most part, despite having an authentic setting. At no point does the game raise the bar; it moves on flat from start to finish.
Performances by Others Actors
The movie comprises of good number of supporting cast as the story spans through decades and features different ages. Among the many, only a few manage to get decent roles like Kishore, Naveen Chandra, Ajay Ghosh, Satyam Rajesh etc.
Kishore is a perfect fit for the part and goes about his work clinically. There is nothing impactful, but still, it’s a strong part and he does the required job easily. For Naveen Chandra, it is work as usual. He has been typecast in roles like this. He too does his portions with sincerity and that’s the best one can say as it’s a regular part for him. Ajay Ghost is adequate whereas the rest pitch in decently in the given small roles.
Music and Other Departments?
GV Prakash’s songs are poor here. What makes them further worse is the placement. They come across as speed breakers in the narrative. The back-to-back arrival during the end tests one’s patience. The background is okay, comparatively. But, here too, it is fine in parts only, and not entirely satisfying.
The cinematography is good. The vintage mood of the yesteryears has been neatly captured. A sense of authenticity is brought by the visuals which is the best thing here. The editing should have been better. The narrative feels dragged a lot and never-ending after a point. The crispness is missing.
The production values by Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments are good. As mentioned previously, a sense of authenticity has been brought in by the technical team (artwork, set design, costumes etc.). Props to the makers for backing them in getting the right vision.
Highlights?
Authentic setup
A few occasionally engaging scenes
Varun Tej, though nothing memorable
Drawbacks?
Flat narration
Unjustified, silly scenes
Overly lengthy
Weak songs with poor placement
Did I Enjoy It?
Overall, I didn’t.
Will You Recommend It?
No.
Travel Movie Review by M9
Final Report:
Matka feels largely flat due to its formulaic approach, and the runtime feels unnecessarily long. While Varun gives his best playing multiple roles with different aged looks, the film ultimately disappoints. It’s another letdown from Varun Tej.
First Half Report:
The first half of Matka is utterly formulaic. Vasu’s transition into the role of Matka kingpin never raises the bar and proceeds flatly. The setting looks visually authentic.
Matka movie begins with kid Vasu getting into trouble and establishing his character. Stay tuned for the U.S. premiere report.
Stay tuned for Matka ReviewUSA Premiere Report.
Varun Tej has pinned high hopes on Matka to boost his goodwill, and the film is set in a unique setting. We’ll see how engaging and refreshing Matka turns out to be. Stay tuned for our report from the U.S. premiere.
Cast: Varun Tej, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Nora Fatehi, Naveen Chandra, Kannada Kishore, Ajay Ghosh, Mime Gopi, Roopalakshmi, Vijayrama Raju, Jagadeesh, Raj Thirandas.
Written and Directed by Karuna Kumar
Music: GV Prakash Kumar
DOP: A Kishor Kumar
Editor: Karthika Srinivas R
Producers: Dr Vijender Reddy Teegala and Rajani Talluri
Banners: Vyra Entertainments, SRT Entertainment
USA Distributor: Shloka Entertainments
