Did You Know Pakistan-Born 'Matka King' Ratan Khatri Was Jailed And Even Worked With Rishi Kapoor, Parveen Babi?

Vijay Varma plays the lead in the historical crime drama series Matka King, which debuted on April 17, 2026, on Prime Video. Ratan Khatri, the real-life Matka King of Mumbai, was highlighted in the series, which was set in Bombay in the 1960s. He was the driving force behind the transformation of matka betting into a vast enterprise. Vijay Varma has taken on the role of Brij Bhatti in Nagraj Manjule's historical crime drama series on Prime Video.

Vijay Varma-starrer also featured Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Jamie Lever, Siddharth Jadhav, Gulshan Grover, Vineet Kumar Singh, Bharat Jadhav, Bhupendra Jadawat, and numerous other actors in the recently released eight-episode series. Did you know that Ratan Khatri, the guy responsible for creating the largest gambling empire in India during the 1960s, had links to Bollywood?

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Who Was Ratan Khatri?

Ratan Khatri was born in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1932. His family was Sindhi Hindu. During the 1947 Partition, he and his family moved to Bombay, India, when he was young. He established his huge gambling enterprise in Bombay by the 1960s. At first, Ratan was employed by Kalyanji Bhagat, a prominent person in the matka gambling industry who was well-known for the Worli Matka. It is important to note that cotton price betting was a part of matka gambling before the 1960s.

ALSO READ - Who Was Ratan Khatri? Know About Indian Gambling Kingpin Who Inspired Vijay Varma's Matka King

Ratan Khatri And His Bollywood Connection

Ratan Khatri had an impact outside of gambling. He also ventured into film production and financing at the height of his fame and fortune, something that many influential businessmen and bankers with ties to the underworld of the time pursued. He allegedly strengthened his ties to the Hindi film business by producing the 1976 movie Rangila Ratan, which starred Rishi Kapoor and Parveen Babi.

(Image: BookMyShow)

Ratan Khatri Was In Jail?

For those who don't know, India's then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency throughout the country from 1975 to 1977. Several matka operators were imprisoned at the time. Among them was Ratan Khatri, who was put behind bars at the time. As he did little to keep Ratan out of jail, his relationship with Kalyanji deteriorated.

Ratan Khatri reportedly passed away at his Tardeo home in South Mumbai on May 9, 2020. According to reports, his death was caused by cardiac arrest at 88.

About Matka King

Matka King is based on a true story that took place in Mumbai in the 1960s and 1970s, when the city was still struggling to recover from Partition. Although there are some dull moments in the series, it starts with an intriguing premise and keeps your interest for the majority of its length. The series seeks to examine morality, ambition, and power. It chronicles the ascent of Brij Bhatti, a guy who uses honesty and trust to create a gambling empire.