A chat with Matka Vasu stars Varun Tej, Meenakshi Chaudhary & producer Vijender Reddy Teegala

By Jyothi Venkatesh

What’s your sense of excitement with the launch of the trailer for your film Matka Vasu?

Varun Tej: As you said, there’s excitement surrounding the film. From the moment I heard the script, I felt that for any actor, doing a film isn’t just about gaining appreciation from the audience but rather following one’s true passion. Yet, after all the work you put in, you do want the audience to experience it. For me, the excitement is high as I’m portraying such a unique character for the first time, spanning a vast timeline. Bringing the world of the 60s and 70s to life and exploring the history of ‘Matka’ is truly special, especially as many in my generation aren’t familiar with it. It’s a unique and significant story inspired by real events, not just pure fiction.

Meenakshi Chaudhary: Any actor goes through a mix of emotions with a film; there’s both excitement and nerves. And as the release date approaches, these feelings only intensify. It’s an incredibly exciting time for any actor because you spend months creating a film with the entire team’s hard work. We all hope our best work is showcased to the audience, ensuring they are entertained.

Varun, you weren’t even born when Matka King Ratan Khatri was alive. How challenging was it for you to get into the character?

Varun Tej: So, the thing is, we are not trying to imitate him but rather present an entirely fresh portrayal of how Matka King Ratan Khatri might have been. The character of Vasu, played by me in the film, is fictional, but we drew on certain traits and episodes from how he built his organization back in the 60s and 70s. In those days, there were no phones and very little communication, yet he managed to send a single number across the entire country from one location. These facts really surprised me—how he managed to build such a strong organization. There were many such surprising facts, like how the economy was heavily impacted by white money turning into black through this racket. He was even questioned by the government, and he reportedly offered to pay off India’s debt if they would legalize Matka. These were the details that inspired us to bring this story to life through the film.

So, would you say playing the character of Vasu was more of a pleasure or a pressure?

Varun Tej: It was a beautiful pleasure. Indeed, it’s a challenge to play such characters in a film, but now that we’ve seen what we’ve created, it’s pure pleasure.

Meenakshi, when you take on the role of a leading lady in a hero-oriented film like Matka Vasu, what kind of characterization can we expect from you?

Meenakshi Chaudhary: This is where the director’s clarity comes into play, and I have been fortunate enough to work with a director like Karuna Kumar, who was very clear about how he wanted his leading lady to be portrayed. From the costumes to the make-up and the characterization, he had a very clear vision of how he envisioned ‘Sujata,’ from her youth to when she grows up. He had a well-defined agenda and idea in mind for the character. For me, as a director’s actor, it was easy to step into that space and bring the character to life. The entire credit goes to the director, as I literally had to follow his instructions. Being part of a period drama and getting a role like this is something I truly appreciate.

As your first pan-India film, what are your expectations for the box office turnover of this film?

Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala: We are here to make a film that is appreciated by 90 percent of the audience, and Matka Vasuis one such brilliant movie. In the film, there is a dialogue that says, “90 percent of the people have only 10 percent of the money, and 10 percent of the people have 90 percent of the money.” So, we are here to make a movie for the 90 percent of the people, not the 10 percent. This is a rags-to-riches story. Everyone aims to grow big and achieve something. So, while the A centers drive the movie, it’s the B and C centers of the country that make a big difference to the film’s success.

Did you think from the very beginning about releasing the movie in multiple languages?

Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala: Yes, I thought about this from the very beginning. As you know, Matka was known throughout India. While Telugu is our main bread and butter, Matka was known from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, which is where the idea came from to release it in multiple languages: Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Was Varun Tej your first choice?

Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala: He was the first choice when we heard the story during the first sitting, and he too liked the script.

Varun, talking about the poster where you have different looks—tell us something about that.

Varun Tej: We had to make people believe and take them back to the era, so we worked a lot on the styling—whether it was hair, costume, or even the body language, reflecting how it was back in the 60s and 70s. So, more than me taking credit for it, I give credit to my art team, my director, the hair stylist, the costume designer, and everyone involved. It was their combined effort that allowed me to portray varied looks in this film.

Varun, in this film, you are playing the role of Matka Vasu. But in real life, do you like to gamble?

Varun Tej: I can say I am gambling with my life by doing movies. It’s a very risky business, and there’s no bigger gamble than this. We work hard every day on a film, and then the result is declared in just one day, or say, in just three hours. So, this is the biggest gamble we take.

Varun, you are talented and handsome, so why did it take you so long to enter Bollywood?

Varun Tej: There was never a conscious effort to enter Bollywood. Everyone is now happy in their own space, making films for their respective audiences. The same trend is happening in Hindi cinema as well, where they never ventured into Telugu films before. Now, we see films like Brahmāstra being made in Telugu, and a Tamil film like Amaran being released in Telugu, becoming a big hit. The language barrier has completely vanished. Now, every Hindi film will be released across the country in other languages, and the same will happen with Telugu films as well.

What do you think, as a producer, about the movie being released in multiple languages on a Pan India level?

Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala: I think every movie is a Pan India movie today. It’s just the medium of language that changes. Pan India means that you have dubbed and localized it in 5-6 languages. With the advent of new platforms, every good movie is localized in 5 South Indian languages and Hindi. Cinema acts as a medium that can take a film from one geography to another. Cinema is all about storytelling, so if ‘Matka’ is a good story, it will do well across Pan India. When I met the director and went through the story of ‘Matka’, I would clearly say the film has depth, variety, and shades of an incident that shook India’s economy in the late 1960s-70s, which we all know but today’s generation might not be aware of. We have recreated this story, and such cinema is differently appreciated by the audience.

To what extent have you been inspired by your actor uncle Chiranjeevi and politician uncle Pawan Kalyan?

Varun Tej: My uncle Chiranjeevi has been my sole inspiration for becoming an actor. There is nothing I can’t learn from him, and I’m striving to achieve even one percent of what he has accomplished. From my uncle Pawan Kalyan, I’ve learned the importance of focusing both your mind and body on a single goal and working relentlessly toward it. He’s always been a man of few words, preferring that his actions speak for him, and I believe in that philosophy as well.