सोचा था मेंढ़ी, निकला लंगड़ा !

सोचा था मेंढ़ी, निकला लंगड़ा : My quick take on web series “Matka king” (Amazon Prime)

I just wrapped up Matka King on Amazon Prime Video… and like any good gamble, it left me with mixed feelings. Not the dramatic kind where you either win big or lose everything. This one is subtler. It wins a few rounds, loses a few, and leaves you staring at the table wondering what just happened.

Because here’s the thing, Matka King is not a bad show. Which is precisely why it’s frustrating.

It doesn’t collapse. It lingers. And somehow, that feels worse.

Set in the smoky, bustling lanes of 1960s Bombay, the story follows a common man who builds a gambling empire from scratch. The foundation? A simple, powerful idea:

“Ameer ho ya gareeb… sabka petrol ek hi hai, Ummeed.”

Hope.

And for a while, the show runs beautifully on that fuel. You’re invested. You’re curious. You’re in.

Let’s start with what really works, because quite a lot does.

One of the best things to happen to this series is its casting.

Given the Amchi Mumbai setting, the makers have hand-picked some phenomenal Marathi actors who bring lived-in authenticity to the screen. Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Bharat Jadhav, and Girish Kulkarni, each performance feels effortless, grounded, and memorable.

No weak links. No background noise. Just pure acting muscle.

Vijay Varma, as Brij Bhatti, is particularly compelling, a man full of contradictions. Honest in a dishonest world, yet flawed in his personal choices. You don’t just watch him; you try to figure him out.

The production design deserves serious applause.

They don’t just recreate 1960s Bombay… they quietly transport you there. The chawls, the cramped corridors, the textures of everyday life, it all feels authentic, detailed, and immersive.

It’s not a set. It’s a time machine with slightly cracked walls.

Now, the confession.

I managed to finish this series after five or six attempts.

And that says something.

What could have been a sharp, tightly packed narrative slowly stretches itself out.

मटका एक प्याला बन सकता था… रांजण बन गया.

Somewhere in fictionalizing the real-life Matka King (Khatri) into the character Bhatti, the storytelling loses its edge. The raw, earthy intensity one expects from Nagraj Manjule feels diluted in a more conventional crime-drama framework.

Sorry, Nagraj Bhau… but this one doesn’t fully land.

The Peter Pan syndrome.

The story spans years, even decades, yet the characters seem untouched by time.

Aging is optional.

The fountain of youth is apparently part of the production budget.

Several narrative threads are introduced… and then quietly abandoned.

Take the Siddharth Jadhav and Jamie Lever track, it simply disappears. No closure, no payoff.

Maybe it’s reserved for Season 2.

Maybe it’s still stuck in the edit room.

Either way, it breaks immersion.

The show tries to juggle multiple identities, crime saga, emotional drama, social commentary.

In doing so, it loses narrative alignment.

It doesn’t collapse.

It lingers.

And that’s the real problem

The Final Bet.

So, should you watch Matka King?

Yes.

But adjust your expectations.

Watch it for the performances.

Watch it for the world-building.

Watch it for the moments where it almost becomes great.

But don’t expect a jackpot.

One Last Thought…

I couldn’t help but wonder:

If Hansal Mehta had taken a shot at this story… would the odds have turned out differently?

I’m willing to bet they might have.