By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

Bollywood has helped portray a wide variety of characters and unique plots that ask philosophical questions. One popular storyline that has hit bollywood cinema over the the years relates gambling and casinos, they explore the thrill of games such as poker and dramatize casino culture.

Whether you are just a fan of casino films or are watching in order to boost your poker strategy, there are many casino bollywood films to enjoy. Here are just some of the best titles from the last few decades:

Jannat (2008)

Jannat, which translates from Hindi as Heaven, is a romantic crime film that was written by Sanjay Masoom and directed by Kunal Deshmukh. Deshmukh is also well known for directing the 2009 installment Tum Mile and we can examine his other films including, Zeher, Kalyug and Woh Lamhe.

The film follows young Arjun (played by Emraan Hashmi), a money obsessed man who, after meeting a girl, shows his extreme desire for wealth when he steals an expensive ring. Let off by Inspector Ajay (played by Sameer Kochhar), Arjun then begins a life of gambling in order to impress his new love interest Zoya (by Sonal Chauhan).

Arjun’s father is concerned about his son’s methods of making money, and causes his son to resent him by warning Zoya about his behavior. As Arjun’s card playing and gambling reaches new heights, he goes to South Africa and becomes involved in a criminal enterprise fixing matches.

Inspector Ajay is called in to assist on the criminal case amounting against Arjun, Zoya leads Arjun into the police’s sting operations and he is eventually sentenced to five years in prison. Arjun is soon helped by his criminal ally to be released and continues his gambling ways.

Despite trying to turn his life around, Arjun participates in one last gambling fix and a pregnant Zoya tells police. Arjun confesses but is shot dead by police when they mistakenly see him reach for a gun.

This movie is all about the consequences of greed and choosing wealth over morality. It was a huge success at the box office in India and many other parts of the world.

Striker (2010)

Starring Siddharth Suryanarayan, Usha Jadhav, and Padmapriya Janakiraman, Striker is a drama that was written and directed by Chandan Arora. It was released in both Indian cinema and on YouTube in 2010.

The film follows Suryakant Sarang, he is first shown as a young boy from an impoverished family who is introduced to playing the game carrom at a tournament by his older brother Chandrakant. At just age 12, Surya wins the Junior Carrom Championship and continues to play and improve his game.

However as he grows into a man, Surya begins to work towards his career and tries to earn enough money to move to Dubai to start a new life. Sadly, he is misled by a bogus Dubai employment agency and is tricked out of all his hard earned savings.

Surya gets involved with some poor influences, including local crime boss Jaeel, and becomes part of the illegal carrom hustling scene. After losing all his money and becoming desperate to regain control, Surya takes on Jaeel. 

The film was rated three of out five stars by Rediff and had a relatively good reception. 

Gambler (1971)

Directed by Amarjeet and written by Kaushal Bharti, the 1970s film Gambler is another crime thriller with a tragic ending. The leading role of Raja is played by Dev Anand, an actor who had asuccessful career in Hindi cinema spanning six decades. He is said to have been one of the best Bollywood actors of all time, here you can check out his greatest movie. 

In Gambler, the character Raja is abandoned by his mother at a very young age and is instead raised by card-sharp criminal Master. After learning all he can about playing cards successfully, Raja leaves Master and begins working for himself. 

Eventually Raja turns his life around and thanks to his card playing talent, he becomes extremely wealthy. He meets a beautiful woman named Chandra Gangaram and falls deeply in love.

His plans to marry Chandra are disrupted by her father, who wants her to marry Ram Mehta, an Indian man settled in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately he is unable to put his plans in action as he is caught and arrested for the brutal murder of Master.

He undergoes a criminal trial in court, during this time he finds out some shocking knowledge about his parents and his earlier life. 

Other great Bollywood casino films

Reading about the recent passing of The Queen of Melodies and India’sgreatest ever singing voice , Lata Mangeshka, has made us look back on the great historical culture that has been formed by many artists and actors within the entertainment industry. This includes other Bollywood casino themed films and effects it had on audiences worldwide. It is well worth mentioning The Great Gambler (1979) and Teen Patti (2010). The Great Gambler was a high budget 1970s film following the expert gambler Jai, who gets involved in a series of events after meeting underworld don Ratan Das. Teen Patti is a more recent film that follows a mathematics professor writing his thesis on probability in relation to the game Three Cards.