Vijay Varma and Kritika Kamra’s series, Matka King has been dominating the news and public discussion forums lately. Since the show’s premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 17, 2026, it has been making significant waves. Created and directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, it has quickly become one of the most-watched Indian series on the OTT platform in recent years. Set in the 1960s and 70s Bombay, the story takes us back to the era of Matka gambling.
The protagonist, ‘Brij Bhatti’ (played by Vijay Varma), is the heart of the story and is based on the real-life ‘Matka king’, Ratan Khatri. Ratan was a cotton trader who democratised gambling by introducing the Matka system. He gained the trust of the masses through his method, which brought the much-needed transparency to gambling. His honest game, with guaranteed payouts, turned into a nationwide craze. However, he had to give up everything and retire early due to several unavoidable circumstances.
What led to Ratan Khatri’s downfall and eventual retirement?
A combination of police crackdowns, changing political scenarios and shifting dynamics within Mumbai’s underworld led to the downfall and eventual retirement of India’s Matka king, Ratan Khatri. The first major blow to Ratan’s empire occurred when the then-Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi declared a state of Emergency (1975–1977). In 1977, he was imprisoned for 19 months, which severely disrupted his gambling operations. By the 1980s and 1990s, Matka was no longer just a local betting venture. It reportedly faced heavy mafia intervention, which led to violence and internal disputes within the gambling community.
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