# Matsya Kaand
**Matsya Kaand** is an Indian Hindi-language crime drama streaming television series that premiered on [MX Player](https://www.edgepedia.org/mx-player) on 18 November 2021. It follows the con artist Matsya Thada, played by [Ravi Dubey](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravi-dubey), who executes large-scale frauds through intelligence and charm while a determined police officer, ACP Tejraj Singh, played by [Ravi Kishan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravi-kishan), pursues him.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) • [2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/matsya-kaand-web-series-105691)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First episode | 18 November 2021, streaming free on MX Player[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/matsya-kaand-web-series-105691) |
| Format | One season of 11 episodes, roughly 32 to 33 minutes each[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) |
| Director | Ajay Bhuyan[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) |
| Lead cast | Ravi Dubey (Matsya Thada), Ravi Kishan (Tejraj Singh), Zoya Afroz (Urvashi), Piyush Mishra (Anand Pandit)[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) |
| Studio | Banijay Asia; producers Deepak Dhar and Rishi Negi[3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5) |
| IMDb rating | 8.5/10 from about 7,100 votes[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15516446/ratings/) |
| Status | Ended after season 1[5](https://filmi.ai/series/matsya-kaand/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Matsya Thada is described as an honorable con artist who conducts his "kaand" (deeds or operations) with aptitude, intelligence, and charm rather than brawn. He is known for pulling off some of the country's most daring and biggest cons and repeatedly evades the police as he moves from one operation to the next. The central conflict begins when ACP Tejraj Singh is given charge of his case; Matsya challenges the officer to catch him if he can, setting up a cat-and-mouse chase.[5](https://filmi.ai/series/matsya-kaand/)
The backstory ties the character's turn to crime to personal loss. In the opening, Matsya is caught setting fire to the petrol pump allotted to his mother after his army-man father is killed in the [Kargil War](https://www.edgepedia.org/kargil-war). In prison he finds a mentor in Anand Pandit, who uses teachings from the [Mahabharata](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahabharata) to prepare him for life after his sentence.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/matsya-kaand/seriesreview/87599347.cms) The first episode shows the 18-year-old Matsya entering jail, attempting an escape, and meeting Anand Pandit, where his education as a conman begins.[3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5)
### Episode structure and the Mahabharata frame
The eleven episodes are named after figures from the Mahabharata: [Abhimanyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/abhimanyu), Bhasmasur, Mohini Avatar, Karan, Agayat Vas, Yuyutsu, Chausar, Ashwatthama, Pitama Bhishm, Ranchode, and Apayas Nasti Vikalpa.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand/season-1) The reviewer Manisha Lakhe, a film critic and founder of the online writers' forum Caferati, noted in Moneycontrol that the device goes beyond naming: each episode draws a parallel between its story and the epic character it is titled after, with [Piyush Mishra](https://www.edgepedia.org/piyush-mishra)'s Panditji narrating these stories to Matsya in prison as part of his preparation for revenge.[8](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/matsya-kaand-review-a-revenge-story-that-swings-from-aha-to-facepalm-moments-7744331.html)
The cons themselves follow a progression. Episode two sends Matsya to Meerut to take revenge for Anand and build a trap around Suri (Rajesh Sharma), a club owner; episode three centers on a cricket-betting scheme on the day of a match; episode four has Suri hire the ruthless cop Tejraj Singh to hunt Matsya and his team.[3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5) Later episodes show Tejraj closing in, an escape in which Raju ([Madhur Mittal](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhur-mittal)) is injured, and Matsya deciding to challenge Tejraj directly.[3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5)
## Production and cast
The series was directed by Ajay Bhuyan and produced by Banijay Asia, with Deepak Dhar and Rishi Negi as producers. Writing credits include Shiv Singh, Tejpal Singh Rawat, Namesh V Dubay, and Debu Purkayastha.[5](https://filmi.ai/series/matsya-kaand/) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5) It was shot across Delhi, Meerut, Sambhar, and Jaipur, and was promoted as the first web series in the thriller-con genre produced for Indian OTT.[9](https://www.femina.in/beauty-pageants/miss-india/zoya-afroz-shares-the-promo-video-of-matsya-kaand/articleshow/87845588.cms) The title track was performed, written, and composed by Parry G.[9](https://www.femina.in/beauty-pageants/miss-india/zoya-afroz-shares-the-promo-video-of-matsya-kaand/articleshow/87845588.cms)
For Ravi Dubey, a television actor who had also moved into production with the show [Udaariyaan](https://www.edgepedia.org/udaariyaan), Matsya Kaand was his first web series as an actor; he plays the shrewd con artist at the center of the story.[10](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/matsya-kaand-ravi-dubey-says-go-all-chips-in-when-you-step-in-a-new-role-23201073) The supporting cast includes [Zoya Afroz](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoya-afroz) as Urvashi, who supports Matsya in his heists, Piyush Mishra as Anand Pandit, Shrikant Verma as Vinod Singh, Madhur Mittal as Raju, Rajesh Sharma as Suri, and Naved Aslam as Sunil Ajmera.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) • [11](https://brightpunjabexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/13-November-2021-E_Paper.pdf)
## Release and reception
All eleven episodes were released on 18 November 2021 on MX Player, free with advertisements; the series later also became available through Amazon MX Player and Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/matsya-kaand-web-series-105691) • [1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand) Audio was offered in Hindi with Tamil and Telugu dubs, with English subtitles.[3](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5)
Audience response on IMDb was strong: the series holds a weighted rating of 8.5/10 from about 7,100 votes, with individual episode ratings ranging from 7.9 for the premiere to 9.1 for the finale.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15516446/ratings/) Critical reviews were more reserved. The Times of India gave season one a critic's rating of 3.0, calling it an interesting watch for its engaging storyline and effective performances.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/matsya-kaand/seriesreview/87599347.cms) OTTplay rated it 2.5/5, praising Ravi Dubey's charm and the title track while faulting the storyline's length and lapses in authenticity, and suggesting the material would have worked better as a film.[12](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/review/matsya-kaand-series-review-ravi-dubeys-charm-and-good-performance-need-a-better-storyline/f1c9bd60d1147) The Moneycontrol review highlighted the chemistry between the two leads, writing that Dubey's many disguises work well and that Ravi Kishan's violent, unkempt ACP makes for a good adversary, while noting uneven stretches in the con plots.[8](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/matsya-kaand-review-a-revenge-story-that-swings-from-aha-to-facepalm-moments-7744331.html)
## References
1. [Matsya Kaand - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand)
2. [Matsya Kaand Web Series (2021) - Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/matsya-kaand-web-series-105691)
3. [Matsya Kaand - Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/matsya-kaand/umc.cmc.5ganwdaboerygwth6o5lp1r5)
4. [Matsya Kaand (TV Series 2021) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15516446/ratings/)
5. [Matsya Kaand - series, seasons and where to watch, filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/series/matsya-kaand/)
6. [Matsya Kaand Web Series: Review, Trailer, Star Cast, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/matsya-kaand/seriesreview/87599347.cms)
7. [Matsya Kaand Season 1 - watch full episodes streaming online](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/matsya-kaand/season-1)
8. ['Matsya Kaand' review: A revenge story that swings from 'aha!' to facepalm moments, Moneycontrol](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/matsya-kaand-review-a-revenge-story-that-swings-from-aha-to-facepalm-moments-7744331.html)
9. [Zoya Afroz shares the promo video of 'Matsya Kaand', Femina](https://www.femina.in/beauty-pageants/miss-india/zoya-afroz-shares-the-promo-video-of-matsya-kaand/articleshow/87845588.cms)
10. [Ravi Dubey: Go all chips in when you step in a new role, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/matsya-kaand-ravi-dubey-says-go-all-chips-in-when-you-step-in-a-new-role-23201073)
11. [Bright Punjab Express e-paper, 13 November 2021](https://brightpunjabexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/13-November-2021-E_Paper.pdf)
12. [Matsya Kaand series review, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/review/matsya-kaand-series-review-ravi-dubeys-charm-and-good-performance-need-a-better-storyline/f1c9bd60d1147)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license