Matka King review — a crime drama that pays rich dividends

Rating: 4/5 · Prime Video

Nagraj Manjule brings his signature social realism to long-form storytelling. Matka King traces the rise of a man who systematised a city's appetite for chance, and it is at its best when studying the people around him rather than the numbers.

Vijay Varma is superb — restrained, watchful, letting silence do the work — and Sai Tamhankar matches him scene for scene. The production design of 1960s and 70s Bombay is meticulous.

Verdict: A familiar genre executed with unusual craft. Worth betting eight hours on.