Vijay Varma has opened up about what attracted him to Matka King and why he felt a strong personal connection with his character, Brij Bhatti. The series, directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Vijay Varma says Matka King director Nagraj Popatrao Manjule's honesty drew him to Prime Video show: "He has always worked with non-actors"

Vijay Varma says Matka King director Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s honesty drew him to Prime Video show: “He has always worked with non-actors”

Speaking about joining the project, Vijay said, “I love whatever he (Nagraj Popatrao Manjule) has done in the past, and he is one of my favourite directors. He has always worked with non-actors and makes some of the most amazing films, so I felt it would be interesting to work with him.”

The actor revealed, “When I got the call from Sid Roy Kapur’s office, they narrated the first episode to me and I was immediately struck by the world. The world was a great promise for me. In the first episode itself, I figured that this man’s superpower is just one thing, which is imaandari (honesty). I feel like this is a superpower that nobody understands today. The world, the promise, the possibility of working with Nagraj, and a character who is enjoying life and doing things with a lot of love and honesty, stayed with me.”

Vijay further shared, “There is a commonality I found with the character. I came to this city with nothing and have made a name for myself, and that desire to do things your own way is something I connected with. Doing it with honesty and integrity is something I deeply resonated with.”

Discussing similarities with the role, Vijay said, “This man (Brij) is not attached to the idea of winning or losing. Even the name carries an interesting layer, rooted in the idea of a bairagi, someone detached from the material world and able to see the bigger picture. In English, it also connects people, like a bridge, a way to get somewhere. I liked the name, it grew on me, and it feels very period-specific because nobody names their kids Brij anymore.”

Matka King is created and written by Abhay Koranne, with Manjule serving as creator, writer and director. The cast includes Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Gulshan Grover and others in key roles. Produced by Roy Kapur Films, Aatpat and SMR Entertainment, the series is available on Prime Video in India and across multiple international markets.

Also Read:Kareena Kapoor Khan’s weekend binge is Matka King; Abhay Verma calls Vijay Varma “magic”

Tags : Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video India, Matka King, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, OTT, OTT Platform, Prime Video, Prime Video India, Vijay Varma, Web Series, Web Show