Director rubbishes Matka rumours. Recently, rumors circulated that the shooting of Karuna Kumar’s film "Matka," starring Varun Tej, was halted due to budget constraints. Speculation arose after the performance of "Operation Valentine" at the box office. However, director Karuna Kumar debunked these rumors, stating that the shooting was paused because Varun had to trim his hair for last-minute "Operation Valentine" shots, not due to budget issues.
"We already finished two schedules and thirty percent of the shoot. The makers of 'Operation Valentine' requested Varun to shoot for some last-minute scenes, and he trimmed his hair for that. While yes, we are supposed to shoot now, we can only shoot once his hair grows back. No budget issues are hindering us," he clarified.
Karuna also mentioned that the producers are pleased with the quality of the film so far, and they might even increase the budget by 10-20%. "We have a budget on paper, and the final spending might be more than that. The producers are super happy with the quality we’re extracting on sets," he added.
Known for making social dramas like "Palasa 1978," "Sridevi Soda Center," and "Kalapuram," Karuna's "Matka" features Meenakshi Chaudhary and Nora Fatehi in lead roles, alongside Naveen Chandra, Mime Gopi, Kishore, Ajay Ghosh, and others. The film, set between the 1950s and 80s, will see Varun in the role of a gangster and is set in Vizag, showcasing him in four different looks.
The film's music is composed by GV Prakash Kumar, with Karthika Srinivas R as the editor, Ashish Teja handling production design, and Suresh in charge of art direction. Four fight masters have been enlisted for the action sequences. "Matka" is slated to release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.