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Lottery, a single genre that is a complete package of drama, thrill, anticipation, emotional disbalances, and painstaking risks. Bollywood movies are inherently dramatic with reckless twists, and lottery-based themes happen to fit perfectly under that theme.
If you ever wish to experience the thrill of lottery games, you can play Lottoland’s Malamaal daily just like the movie Malamaal Weekly showcased it on the big screen.
So, as you can see, the lottery unleashes risks, twists, turns, and drama; hence, it serves as a befitting plotline for Bollywood movies. Here are some Bollywood movies that beautifully portrayed the world of the lottery and how it affects everyone around it. Here goes the list:
Movie 1: Gambler (1971)
Gambler is a Bollywood classic that features the lottery saga. The movie was released in 1971, with an original soundtrack by S.D Burman that can still bewitch the audience.
● The movie revolves around a laid policeman, Raja, who was abandoned by his mother at a very tender age.
● He grew up to be street smart and was raised by an extremely enigmatic figure, a crime Don.
● The crime Don acted as a father figure to Raja during his developing period.
● He expected Raja to work for him in return. Raja indulges in card games and lottery slots to raise money and afford a suitable lifestyle for him and his beloved Chandra.
● However, once Raja puts a stop to his criminal lifestyle and lottery games slots, he is falsely accused of murdering his father figure, the Crime Don.
● The latter half of the movie focuses on Raja’s struggle to prove his innocence and mend his ways.
● The movie was a great hit starring legendary actors like Dev Anand, Kishore Sahu, Shatrughan Sinha, Zaheeda Hussain, and Manorma.
● Behind this wonderful cast were an excellent crew and director Amarjeet who gave us all the gems like Gandhi and Rocky.
Movie 2: Striker (2010)
The striker was a movie inspired by the real-life of Suryakant Sarang, a Mumbai-based destitute child with a passion for carrom.
● The movie begins with Surya dropping out of school due to his unfavorable health circumstances.
● To get past his boredom, Surya begins to reshape his life with a game. His older brother trains him for carrom, and Surya turns out to be a natural.
● Soon after, Surya gets hooked and goes on to carve a niche in carrom and ultimately seals a prestigious prize in the Junior Carrom Championship at just the age of 12.
● Subsequently, his passion and love for carrom intensify, which leads him to discover the darker sides of this game.
● His ever-growing spark for the game turns into flame when he loses all his hard-earned money to a fraudulent job site.
● It is then when Surya decides to take down Jaleel, who runs a betting syndicate. He is the self-proclaimed king of the underworld, who lures innocent people into illicit activities and robs them of their hard-earned money.
● The latter half of the movie revolves around Surya using his carrom skills and experiencing the tribulations of the lottery underworld.
● This was the first Indian movie to be related internationally on YouTube. It went on to strike the audience through its raw display of wrong and right sides of the lottery and betting syndicates.
● The cast features great actors like Siddhartha Narayan, Anupam Kher, Anup Soni, Usha Biswas, and Aditya Pancholi.
● The movie was directed by Chandan Arora and wonderfully displayed the hustles of the underworld.
Movie 3: Jannat (2008)
Unlike every Bollywood movie mentioned above, Jannat tends to stand a bit different in genre. In fact, this movie was a romantic saga seasoned with the drama of sports betting.
● Jannat revolves around Arjun Dixit, played by Emran Hashemi, a street smart young man who takes pride in his gaming skills.
● He is a small town lottery enthusiast who earns money via card games.
● Upon a chance encounter with Zoya, whom he instantly falls in love with, he decides to become rich to win her over.
● He then switches from mere card games to a sports betting bookie and ultimately becomes the lottery mafia.
● Subsequently, he begins indulging in match-fixing and resorts to unfair means to instantly pole up money, which soon catches the attention of the police.
● When Zoya realizes how Arjun makes money, she threatens to leave him. Now Arjun stands on a diverging path where he has to choose between the love of his life and fame, money, and power.
● However, the crossroads of match betting are not that easy to let go of. The movie focuses on how Arjun’s greed spirals him down to the dark territories of gambling.
● This movie was critically acclaimed and internationally renowned, for it displayed a wonderful message.