Kritika Kamra Explores 1960s Mumbai's Matka Gambling World in New Series

'Matka King' follows the story of a gambling lord, who undergoes a meteoric rise in the 1960s and 1970s in Mumbai. The cotton mills of Mumbai play an important part in the show and its narrative.

Kritika essays the role of Gulrukh, a Parsi woman, who acts as a catalyst to the evolution of the game of Matka. The actress spoke with IANS during the promotions of the show, and shed light on making her way around a story set back in time.

She told IANS, "See, the world was already created through the story. So, you are already inhabiting that world as an actor. As soon as you go on the set, as soon as you enter that costume, you enter that world. That's a gateway to go into it. And, of course, there's a language of that era. There is stability in that era, things move slow because the technology is not fast. There is the analog world".

She further mentioned, "At one point, Matka's numbers also start coming on the phone in the show. So, that was very interesting because at many places, we had to also pretend that there was no sound because at that time, there was no sound. And there was an operator. I don't think Gen Z will even know these words. Back then, people used to connect lines manually. A whole department used to do that".

"We don't know how it happens today because the technology has gone so far ahead. So, there were such interesting things that belonged to the era before my time even. So, I find it fascinating. It was fascinating to be around it. But I think the people and the psyche of people and our addiction to hope, we can still understand that and portray it", she added.

'Matka King' skillfully blends the technology of its time with the show's narrative, and acts a vehicle to tell the story.

The show is set to drop on April 17 on Prime Video.

- IANS