Overview
- Prime Video says Matka King, which premiered April 17, ranked in the Top 10 across 37 countries in its first week and hit No. 1 in 17.
- Set in 1960s Bombay, the series follows the rise of a new gambling system called matka and is led by Vijay Varma, with Nagraj Popatrao Manjule directing and co-creating with Abhay Koranne.
- Journalists note clear echoes of real figures, reporting the protagonist mirrors matka pioneer Ratan Khatri and a film-star character recalls Mehmood, even as the makers maintain the story is fictional.
- Hindustan Times reports the show blends fact with invention around the lead’s links to film financing, and it adds there is no documented evidence for some onscreen fallouts.
- Bollywood Hungama also notes a Bombay High Court order cleared the show’s title, and Prime Video’s Nikhil Madhok says the response underscores the global pull of India-rooted storytelling.