Matka, fronted by Varun Tej, is hitting the screens on November 14. Directed by Karuna Kumar, the period action drama features Meenakshi Chaudhary as the female lead. Bollywood beauty Nora Fatehi played a key role in this flick produced by Vyra Entertainments and SRT Entertainments. Ahead of the release, Karuna Kumar interacted with the media and here is the transcript.

The current generation doesn’t know about the Matka game. What care did you take for this?

Watch the film. You will understand the game clearly without any confusion. We double-checked the scenes involving the game. How Matka originated and continued is neatly shown. The aspect of the game that caught my attention was sending a number across the country when there were no mobile phones.

How was Varun Tej’s performance as Vasu?

I have come to the interview after locking the final version. This is one of the finest performances of Varun Tej Garu. People will talk about Matka even after 20 years. Varun Garu is a very cool person. He has got tons of dedication.

To what extent is the protagonist’s character inspired by Ratan Khatri’s life?

The movie is not about him. A web series is being made about his life. Ratan Khatri’s life can only be told in a web series as there are a lot of events. It won’t work as a film. The only similarity is that Ratan Khatri hails from Pakistan, and Vasu (Varun Tej) hails from Burma. He visits Vizag, and his life changes completely. There is a Burma colony in Vizag where different people live.

Tell us about the technical aspects of the film.

We did extensive pre-production work. We made a sketch for everything. When the film was in the writing stage, we decided on the kind of lighting and lens to be used. Every set was first made as a miniature. We recreated them later in a similar way. The detailing part is well taken care of. Amazing sets have been erected. Kishore Kumar’s camera work will be very special in Matka.

For how many times was the film shot?

We completed the shoot in 79 days. Till now, I have completed all my films within the estimated budget. The same is the case with Matka. The budget didn’t overshoot.