Siddharth Roy Kapur & 'Sairat' director Nagraj Manjule collaborate for 'Matka King' series

Siddharth Roy Kapur and Sairat fame director Nagraj Manjule are joining hands for the tentatively titled series Matka King, which has been inspired by the life of India's 'founding father of gambling' Ratan Khatri. Set between the 1960s and the 1990s, the series chronicles Ratan's journey to 'dominate and subjugate money', further showcasing how money shifts hands through the informal economy and sustains a country's 'power structure', according to PTI reports. 

The series' official logline also states that Matka King will capture "the culture of Mumbai’s teeming working classes" in the 60s and 70s, and how the nation progressed through their lives and the 'betting syndicate' operated by Khatri. 

Siddharth Roy Kapur- Nagraj Manjule come together for Matka King

According to ANI reports, producer Siddharth expressed excitement about working with Nagraj. "Nagraj Manjule's SAIRAT is one of my favourite movies of the last decade and I'm thrilled to be collaborating with him to tell this fascinating story that we hope will resonate with viewers across India and the world!" he said. 

Manjule also noted that the project is an attempt to narrate a “unique and captivating story”. He said, "I am looking forward to this new opportunity of being able to tell a very unique and captivating story on OTT and partnering with Sid Roy Kapur who shares a common creative vision. I truly hope that the viewers enjoy the world of the Matka King as much as we are enjoying the process of creating it."

Meanwhile, Siddharth is also bankrolling a project based on the life of astronaut Rakesh Sharma. Titled Saare Jahan Se Achha, the biopic will be helmed by Mahesh Mathai, while notable writer Anjum Rajabali will be penning the screenplay. He also has a slate of films in the pipeline including Ishaan Khatter's action-war film Pippa, his production venture with Ajay Devgn in the comedy-drama Gobar as well as a SonyLIV series based on the life of Indian nuclear physicists Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.

His latest venture Aranyak has received a positive response from the audiences. The spy thriller Netflix series starred Raveena Tandon as a fierce cop Kasturi Dogra along with Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Ashutosh Rana among others. 

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