Teen Patti
Teen Patti premiered in 2010. It stars Amitabh Bachhan, Ben Kingsley, and Shraddha Kapoor. Venkat, the main character, learns to gamble with the aim to win a big jackpot. He enlists his friend, Percy a famous mathematician to help him win. They come up with theories about winning, which they test on online sites before going to real casinos in London. Once back in India, Venkat invites three of his students to a game to prove his theory. Once more, its proven that his theory works and the decide to take on big gamblers playing the game Teen Patti. The team learns hand signals, put on disguises and clean out card clubs. Of course, the mob is not happy about this and drama ensues. Verdict: it's a thriller and a must watch for newbie gamblers.
Gambler
This movie was released in 1971. It focuses on a lazy police officer, Inspector Pandey who is assigned a task that is about to change his life. While working this challenging task, he exposes a gambling and drug smuggling ring. The gangsters are not impressed and the decide to revenge by making his life miserable. He eventually quits his job and becomes a professional gambler. This does not turn out as he expected and the price he pays may be too high.Striker
Striker premiered in 2010. It was produced and directed by Chandon Arora. It is based on a true story that highlights the illicit gambling scene in the country. Surya, the main character, is a poor boy that is talented in Carrom. Since he often had to miss school due to his health, his brother introduces him to carrom to keep away the boredom. He ends up winning a championship at age 12. Once he discovers his skill for the game, he is lured into the adrenaline-fueled underground world of Carrom where he is noticed by a betting consortium. But there is only one to go from there as greed and lack of control lead him into lousy company.
Jannat
Jannat is a crime romance film that premiered in 2008. It was directed and produced by Kunal Deshmukh and Mukesh Bhatt respectively. It follows Arjun, played by Emraan Hashmi, a young and street-smart gambler. He uses his skills in cricket gambling. He meets Zoya (Sonal Chauhan) looking at a ring in a glass case. He breaks the glass and steals the ring for which he is arrested but is let off with a warning. He decides that he will do anything to be rich to win her over. He moves up from small time gambling and becomes a bookie and later a mafia runner. He finds himself match fixing. When things get complicated, he has to choose between his success and his love for Zoya. The movie is also famous for its soundtrack. The soundtrack composed by Pritam and has 6 songs all of which became chartbusters.The Great Gambler
This classic was released in 1979 and it became an instant success. It follows Jai, Amitabh Bachhan, a pro gambler who never loses a game. His talents catch the eye of gangsters who wish to pull him into their business. They want to use him to trick people of their money. He agrees but he hasn't the slightest idea of what will happen next. The movie highlights Jai's real-life problems, besides betting and this makes him such a relatable character. The movie serves as motivation for gamblers as Jai never loses a game
The Casino
Released in 2020, it is one of the first Indian gambling themed television shows. It stars Karanyeer Bohra, Sudhanshu Pandey and Mandana Karimi. It follows Vicky (Karanyeer Bohra) a rich and simple boy who is the heir to his father's multi-billion casino in Nepal. The story looks into life at a casino and the struggle for control between Vicky and his father's mistress. The casino is available for streaming on Zee5 in India. Despite being released this year, it has already become really popular. Bollywood has its catalogue of casino themed movies. If you enjoyed these and want to explore the genre more, you can dive deeper and explore international options like Matt Damons Rounder, Oceans 11 and Casino Royale.
