10 September 2023
Hyderabad

The principal photography of Varun Tej-starrer Matka, which was launched in a grand manner towards the end of July in Hyderabad, will commence early next month, sources tell us. “The first schedule will begin in Hyderabad on October 4. Various locales of the city will host the shoot, which will go on for 20 days. In November, the makers are planning to construct an old Visakhapatnam set (1960’s) in the city. The place where it will be put up hasn’t been zeroed in yet. The second schedule will commence in this set in December. Director Karuna Kumar and team are looking to complete the entire filming by March,” a source close to the unit told us.

Set in the backdrop of old Visakhapatnam, Matka story unfurls between 1958-1982 and is based on a real incident that shook the entire nation. It spans 24 years, needing Varun Tej to don four different get-ups. He is undergoing a complete makeover for the movie which will be his costliest film until date. Karuna Kumar has done extensive research for the film’s script.

HIT: The Second Case girl Meenakshi Chowdary is paired opposite Varun, while Bollywood bombshell Nora Fatehi will sizzle in a supporting role. The likes of Naveen Chandra, Kannada Kishore, Ajay Ghosh, Mime Gopi, Roopalakshmi, Vijayrama Raju, Jagadeesh and Raj Thirandas alongside a bevy of new faces will round out the other supporting roster.

GV Prakash is composing music for the film, a joint production venture between Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) and Dr Vijender Reddy Teegala under Vyra Entertainments.