In June 2024, Vijay Varma announced that he had begun shooting for filmmaker Nagraj Manjule’s web series, Matka King. The crime drama was included in Prime Video’s slate of projects for 2025, but was a no-show throughout the year. So, where does Manjule’s series stand over a year-and-a-half since it went on floors? mid-day has learnt that the drama — which is set in the 1960s and tells the story of a cotton trader in Mumbai, who invented a form of gambling called ‘Matka’ — will première in April 2026.

Nagraj Manjule

A source revealed, “Matka King’s shoot was wrapped in 2025, and the top bosses at the streamer were keen to release it the same year. But a show of this scale needed time to get the best result. It will present Bombay of the 1960s authentically, and marks Nagraj’s first attempt at a period drama. The director doesn’t believe in rushing things to fit a deadline. The show is now ready and set to drop online in April.”