You are fascinated by evil: Siddharth Roy Kapur on Matka King and flawed characters

Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, in an exclusive conversation with India Today, spoke about what drew him to back Matka King. The series, directed by Nagraj Manjule, stars Vijay Varma, Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadav, and Gulshan Grover, among others.

Explaining his connection to the subject, Roy Kapur said his fascination with matka goes back to his childhood.

A childhood link to matka

“This world has always fascinated me. I grew up hearing about matka- my nani used to play it. There was something slightly sinister about it, like she was doing something wrong, and she was quite naughty that way. That’s the first time I heard about it while growing up,” the producer said.

He added, “There was always this sense of hope. My nana used to buy lottery tickets, and my nani would play matka- there’s always that belief that one day you’ll hit the jackpot.”

Working with Nagraj Manjule

According to Roy Kapur, this very emotion is what filmmaker Nagraj Manjule has captured in the story. “That’s something Nagraj ji has beautifully captured in the script - the idea that the world is built on hope, on ‘ummeed’. All of us have had that hope at some point in our lives. We all live on hope,” he said.

He further pointed out that at a time when many felt their circumstances would not change, matka offered a sense of possibility. “This gave people a legitimate chance to actually change their lives at a time when the country was going through phases where you felt your life might never change. It gave you that sense that it can.”

Talking about what intrigued him most, Roy Kapur highlighted the central character of the story. “What really fascinated me was a man who could galvanise people around him and create that atmosphere of trust- someone who could say, ‘You can trust me. I’m doing something that may be on the grey side of the law, but if you win, you will get your money.’”

The producer also spoke about collaborating with Manjule, whose work he has long admired. “Just that idea, and being able to deal with a character like that in a world like this, is what drew me in. And of course, working with Nagraj ji. After I saw Sairat, I watched it twice and felt that this filmmaker is something else. I had been waiting to work with him, and we finally found this project,” he said.

The appeal of flawed characters

He added that exploring such morally complex characters is what makes storytelling compelling. Drawing a parallel with iconic villains like Gabbar Singh, he said audiences have always been drawn to flawed personalities.

“I think we are sitting with one of the all-time great villains here, Gulshan Grover, what could be more compelling than a delicious villain? Think about Gabbar Singh-he was introduced in that film against a cast of that size, and yet he stood out to such an extent that he is still spoken about more than 50 years later. You enjoyed that character because, as human beings, we are fascinated by evil,” he said.

Roy Kapur explained that this fascination also extends to protagonists with imperfections. “Even in protagonists, when there are flaws, when you see weaknesses and vulnerabilities, it makes them more human. Those frailties actually add to their humanity and make them even bigger heroes when they overcome them.”

While he refrained from revealing too much about the film, Roy Kapur expressed confidence in the final product. “With this amazing group of actors on April 17, I think everyone will see what a wonderful job they’ve done.”

Matka King will stream on Prime Video.