One of Amazon Prime Video’s most anticipated Indian originals is finally on its way. Matka King, starring Vijay Varma in the lead role, is set to premiere on Prime Video in April 2026 — over a year after it was first announced and several months after filming wrapped. Directed by Sairat and Fandry filmmaker Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, the period crime drama is set in 1960s Mumbai and follows a cotton trader who builds a billion-rupee gambling empire from scratch. A source cited by Mid-Day confirmed the April 2026 window, noting that the director “doesn’t believe in rushing things to fit a deadline.”
What Is Matka King About?
The official logline from Prime Video describes Matka King as “a fictional tale set in 1960s Mumbai, where an enterprising cotton trader who craves legitimacy and respect starts a new gambling game dubbed Matka, that takes the city by storm and democratizes a terrain previously reserved for the rich and elite.”
The series spans a timeframe from the 1960s through the 1990s. The central character arrives in Mumbai as a refugee — a man with nothing, who uses the city’s underground gambling scene as his route to power and identity. What begins as a local game played with an earthen pot and numbered chits eventually transforms into a national syndicate worth billions of rupees. In doing so, the protagonist upends a world of wealth that had previously been inaccessible to ordinary working-class Mumbai.
Matka King:
In this fictional tale set in 1960s Mumbai, an enterprising cotton trader who craves legitimacy and respect, starts a new gambling game dubbed ‘Matka’, that takes the city by storm and democratizes a terrain previously reserved for the rich and elite.… pic.twitter.com/nsLnoVpVie— prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) March 19, 2026
While Prime Video describes Matka King as fictional, the story draws clear inspiration from the life of Ratan Khetri, the real-life Matka King of Mumbai. Khetri, born in Karachi and displaced to Mumbai during the 1947 Partition, started a simplified gambling syndicate called Ratan Matka in 1962 using playing cards drawn from an earthen pot. By the 1970s, the daily turnover of his operation reportedly crossed Rs 1 crore. He was imprisoned for 19 months during the Emergency (1975-77) and his business eventually declined in the 1990s under police pressure. Khetri died in Mumbai in May 2020 at the age of 88.
When Is Matka King Releasing on Prime Video?
Matka King is expected to premiere in April 2026 on Amazon Prime Video. The series was first announced in June 2024 and was initially part of Prime Video’s 2025 slate, but it did not release last year. Vijay Varma wrapped filming in April 2025 — marking the occasion with a post on Instagram showing a custom matka-shaped cake with the caption “Matka King Wrapped!” The series was then officially confirmed at the Prime Video Presents India event on March 19, 2026. An exact premiere date has not been announced yet.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Show | Matka King |
| Platform | Amazon Prime Video |
| Language | Hindi |
| Release Date | April 2026 (exact date TBA) |
| Genre | Period Crime Drama |
| Setting | Mumbai, 1960s–1990s |
| Creator / Director | Nagraj Popatrao Manjule |
| Writers | Abhay Koranne, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule |
| Production | Roy Kapur Films, Aatpat, SMR Productions |
| Shoot Wrapped | April 2025 |
| Official Announcement | Prime Video Presents India, March 19, 2026 |
Who Is in the Cast of Matka King?
Vijay Varma plays the lead role — the cotton trader who becomes the Matka King. Varma, known for his performances in Darlings, Mirzapur, Dahaad, and IC814: The Kandahar Hijack, has built a reputation for choosing roles that are unconventional and psychologically layered. Kritika Kamra plays the female lead opposite him. The ensemble also includes Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Bhupendra Jadavat, and Gulshan Grover in key roles.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Vijay Varma | Lead — the cotton trader who builds the Matka empire |
| Kritika Kamra | Female lead |
| Sai Tamhankar | Key role |
| Siddharth Jadhav | Key role |
| Bhupendra Jadavat | Confirmed |
| Gulshan Grover | Confirmed |
Who Directed Matka King and Why Does It Matter?
Nagraj Popatrao Manjule is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Indian regional cinema. His debut feature Fandry (2013) won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. His second film, Sairat (2016), premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival and went on to become the highest-grossing Marathi film of all time — a record it still holds. Both films deal unflinchingly with caste, class, and social mobility in Maharashtra, which makes Matka King a natural fit for Manjule’s sensibility.
Matka King marks Manjule’s first web series and his first foray into period drama — a significant leap in scale and format. The series is co-written by Abhay Koranne alongside Manjule, and is produced under Roy Kapur Films — the banner run by prolific producer Siddharth Roy Kapur — alongside Aatpat and SMR Productions. Additional producers include Gargi Kulkarni, Ashish Aryan, and Ashwini Sidwani.
Where Can You Watch Matka King?
Matka King will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. It is an Amazon Original and will not release on any other platform. A Prime Video subscription is required to watch the series when it premieres in April 2026.