Nagraj Manjule's OTT Debut with 'Matka King' Inspired by Game of Thrones Nagraj Manjule, the acclaimed director behind films such as Fandry, Sairat, and Jhund, has made his long-awaited debut on over-the-top (OTT) platforms with the series Matka King. The project, starring Vijay Varma, marks a significant shift in Manjule’s career, driven by his admiration for the fantasy drama Game of Thrones, which he credits with reshaping his approach to storytelling. Manjule revealed that Game of Thrones was the first OTT show he watched during the pandemic lockdown, and it fundamentally altered his perspective on narrative structure. “When I saw it, I realized OTT has a different strength. You keep binge-watching a long story,” he explained in an interview with PTI. This revelation, he said, inspired him to embrace the format for Matka King, a series that blends historical intrigue with social commentary. The eight-episode series follows Brij Bhatti, a sharp-minded cotton trader navigating the socio-economic shifts of 1960s Bombay. Set against the backdrop of bustling markets and evolving power dynamics, the story explores themes of ambition, class, and systemic inequality. Manjule emphasized that Matka King diverges from his previous works, which often focused on caste oppression. “This is different from Fandry or Sairat—it’s a new kind of story,” he said. The project was developed in collaboration with producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, who shared the same vision for the subject. Manjule described the process as organic, noting that the idea for Matka King had been in the works for years. “We were already working on it with Ashwini Sidwani and Ashish Aryan. Amazon liked it, and the work started,” he said.#amazon #vijay_varma #game_of_thrones #nagraj_manjule #siddharth_roy_kapur
