Matka is not a socio-political film. It is a proper commercial mass film: Mega Prince Varun Tej
Mega Prince Varun Tej’s most awaited movie ‘Matka’ has been talk of the industry ever since the release of its teaser and trailer. Directed by Karuna Kumar, this film is produced by Rajini Talluri, Dr. Vijayender Reddy Theegala on SRT Entertainments and Vyra Entertainments with a huge budget. Meenakshi Chaudhary and Nora Fatehi are the heroines. The film’s audio album composed by star music director GV Prakash Kumar has already become a chart buster hit. The eagerly anticipated ‘Matka’ will hit the screens on November 14. Meanwhile, Mega Prince Varun Tej spoke about the film in a media interaction, and here are the excerpts…
How is the story of ‘Matka’ going to be?
The story is about a guy named Vasu. He comes to Vizag as a refugee from Burma. From 1958 to 82, the film shows how he grew step by step. This is his life story.
Is Vasu similar to Matka King Ratan Khatri’s character?
The director thought that his story should be adapted to Telugu nativity. Ratan Khatri hails from Mumbai background. He came to Mumbai from Pakistan. Moreover, people only talk about his deeds like rumours, some of which have no evidence. In the days when there were no cell phones, he used to send the same number throughout the country on the same day. No one knows how he did it. Our director thought about what he would have done if he was the king of Matka and designed Vasu’s character with his original ideas.
What kind of homework did you do for Vasu’s character?
I spent a lot of time with the director. I have read the script many times. It helped a lot to get into the character. I made an estimate of Vasu’s character while reading the script. A structure is built with it. How does he sit? How does he walk? How does he smoke a cigarette? I had an idea for everything and then discussed it with the director to bring the character of Vasu to life.
-And when it comes to the Uttarandhra accent, Vasu comes from Burma, so there is no need for him to speak that accent in the beginning. As the journey of that character takes place, there will be an accent. As his age increases, along with his character, bad language and accent are polished to suit his age and status.
-Matka’s incredible production design and response while sitting and talking to other actors at the shooting location also helped. We also did numerous script reading sessions for the film to get into the characters.
Caste discrimination is underlined somewhere in Karuna Kumar’s previous films. What point was touched in this?
-Matka is not a socio-political film. It is a proper commercial mass film. Vasu’s character shows pain and anger that no one helped him. As we travel with the character Vasu, his words sometimes feel true. Sometimes, they feel like he is just wrong. Sometimes, the character is pure evil and extremely good, too. In every human being, personality changes slightly, once every five years. All these are shown in Vasu’s character.
-Only 1 percent of rich earn 90 paise of every rupee that circulates in this country. About the remaining 10 paise, 99 percent of people keep fighting. Vasu wants to be in that one percent. This is the concept of the film.
What’s the main reason to accept this movie?
One of the biggest reasons for agreeing to the movie Matka is the characterization. This is a very strongly written character. It doesn’t mean good or bad. When the audience sits in the theatres, they have to connect with a character, travel with it, want him to win, love him… That’s the formula of commercial cinema. In that sense, all the audience will connect with Vasu’s character. The audiences are transported to 60’s, 70’s times. They will travel with Vasu for two and a half hours. This is a movie targeted at the mass audience with proper commercial outlook. Everyone will like it.
About GV Prakash Kumar’s music?
-It is a gangster movie. When thinking about the music director, we remembered the background score of the movie Gangs of Wasseypur. It was amazing. Not many people know that GV Prakash scored the background score for that movie. We travelled with GV with the belief that he would be able to give a perfect score to such genre films. It has four songs. He scored perfect songs for the genre, while the BGM is stunning. I saw his work last night and I was shocked. He gave an amazing score that takes the movie to the next level.
When telling a criminal’s story, how important is it to show their emotional pain and connect it with the audience?
There’s a beautiful scene in the second half where Vasu opens up about his pain and explains to his daughter why he became the way he did. It’s like a short story, and I spent a week perfecting those dialogues. I’m really excited to see how the audience will respond to that scene.
How was your experience working with director Karuna Kumar?
I really admire Karuna Kumar’s sensibilities. He tells stories grounded in reality, without any sugar-coating. I love that about him. He is a very good writer and can improvise brilliant lines on set. For example, there’s a dialogue on Dharma, which he wrote in seconds: “Whatever you need is Dharma.” He has a deep understanding of various topics, and you’ll find several such impactful lines in the film.
Karuna Kumar has great vision and command over music as well. With the right team, he can do wonders. His direction team, including DOP Kishore, worked really well together to bring his vision to life. Matka will be a game-changer for him.
Is Matka a period film? Tell us about the set work.
Yes, Matka is set in a bygone era. Most of the locations were recreated, including the entire market scene. Except for Yarada Beach and Kakinada Port, all other scenes were shot on large sets in RFC.
Does the film contain a high dose of violence?
The movie has been rated U/A, though we were aiming for an ‘A’ rating (laughs). Yes, there is violence in the film, with up to nine action sequences. The second half turns into a revenge drama, and the final moments are packed with intense action.
You’re seen in almost four different getups. How did you transform for each?
As an actor, I consider myself lucky to have such a diverse character. I was really excited when I first heard about Vasu’s role. After Gaddala Konda Ganesh, I was looking for a performance-driven story, and Matka came at the right time. Vasu’s character is challenging, and I wanted the audience to see Vasu on screen, not Varun. I worked hard to make that transformation. When people called me ‘Ganesh’ instead of Varun after Gaddala Konda Ganesh, that was the biggest compliment I could receive. As an actor, if I am called by my character’s name instead of my real name, there’s no greater joy.
What can you tell us about Meenakshi Chaudhary’s character?
Meenakshi plays a character who travels with Vasu. Their characters support each other emotionally throughout the story. There’s an emotional twist to their relationship. I believe her performance will be well appreciated. Nora Fatehi also plays a significant role and has given a fantastic performance.
How was your experience working with Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments?
It’s been a great experience working with both Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments. From day one, everyone worked passionately with the intent of making a great film. It was a really positive and rewarding experience.
