Matka - Varun Tej, Meenaakshi Chaudhary’s pan Indian film to kickstart this December

Varun Tej, who’s awaiting the release of his Hindi-Telugu bilingual Operation Valentine, is gearing up to return to sets for another film this December, after getting hitched to actress Lavanya Tripathi recently. His next major film is Matka, a pan-Indian project directed by Karuna Kumar that’ll release simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi languages.

Guntur Kaaram actress Meenaakshi Chaudhary plays the female lead in the film which also features Nora Fatehi in a crucial role. The makers of Hi Nanna - Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) and Dr Vijender Reddy Teegala of Vyra Entertainments - are bankrolling the big-budget saga. The team’s currently working on the pre-production formalities, erecting huge sets for the story that unfolds between 1950s and 1980s.

Also read: Varun Tej wraps up Operation Valentine, post-production begins 

Matka, for the unversed, is based on true incidents (which the makers haven’t disclosed), while the story is set against a Vizag backdrop. A grand set, reimagining the milieu of old Vizag city, is being constructed in Hyderabad. As many as four action choreographers will supervise the stunts in the film. Varun Tej will have multiple looks in Matka in a story that progresses across a 24-year span.

This will be the most expensive film in the career of Varun Tej. Month of Madhu star Naveen Chandra, Aadukalam Kishore essay pivotal roles as well in Matka, whose supporting cast comprises Ajay Ghosh, Mime Gopi, Roopalakshmi, Vijayrama Raju, Jagadeesh and Raj Tirandasu. GV Prakash Kumar has come on board as the composer while Pushpa fame Karthika Srinivas is the editor.

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Suresh and Ashish Teja are the art director and the production designer respectively. Varun Tej was also seen in the action thriller Gandeevadhari Arjuna in 2023, directed by Praveen Sattaru - the film is now streaming on Netflix. Meenaakshi Chaudhary, apart from Matka and Guntur Kaaram, is also part of Vishwak Sen’s next (with debutant Ravi Teja), Dulquer Salmaan’s Lucky Bhaskar and Thalapathy 68.

Also read: VT14: Varun Tej's next with Karuna Kumar titled Matka