To understand how gambling plays a significant role in cinema, we must first learn how it is accepted within society. For those that do not know of India’s gambling history, we will begin this article as a timeline of events. The rise of casinos, its downfall during the British occupation in the late 1800s, and its slow rise within both the poorest and richest communities in India.
We then come to the main focus of this article and how Bollywood Casino Movies have helped gambling in India to come full-circle. We will also discuss where casino-inspired filmmaking goes from here. Is this a genre that will now grow or has the trend seen its best days?
Why gambling plays a key role in Bollywood cinema
Gambling in the western world is very much taboo and for a country like India, it found itself at a crossroads. Before the 1800s, gambling in India was a common social norm. Casinos were seen in abundance across many of the states. There were no laws, and all classes took part.
The change came when the British Empire took rule in 1858, by 1867 the Gambling Act was the new decree, banning gambling in all forms. Casinos were either renovated into British military sites or torn down.
This was one of the many changes that India went through. It marked a change in rule and with that identity. Those growing up in that time soon because indoctrinated into the British way of thinking and the taboo took root against the idea of gambling.
In movies, the casino is often seen as the release on society, everyone inside is happy, they are a winner, those in control are the elite, those looking to oppress with any tactical means to make sure the house always wins.
For the Indian movie industry, it took till the early 70s for the first movie to be made that used casinos, only 30 years after the British Empire gave independence back to India.
Changing of the Guard
It’s 1971 and the film The Great Gambler, directed by Shakti Samanta is released. This film introduced millions of people to the inside of a casino for the very first time. It was as controversial as the subject of assassination in Taxi Driver, it was condemned for what at the time was a sensitive subject that no one in Bollywood approached before. This movie was exposing the side of casinos which had only ever been seen within American movies.
On reflection, the movie is very tame by the standards you would see in movies today. The Great Gambler was nothing more than an action story about blackmail and military weaponry, all financially backed by gambling. The actor leading the role, Amitabh Bachchan would go on to reprise a similar role in the 2010 film Teen Patti.
However, it would be almost 40 years before another film would be made that tackled the subject of casinos.
The year is 2008 and the film released is Jannat. This took the concept of gambling within Bollywood to an entirely new level. Its success derived from the story’s romantic sub-plot which was mixed into this crime movie. The film was a success to the surprise of many and what followed in no fewer than two years, where the release of Teen Patti and Striker, two casino-related movies straight out of Bollywood.
The understanding of why gambling was being used in filmmaking changed. It elevated stories to new artistic forms. Characters could be flawed through addiction, casinos were the perfect way of getting over the oppression of the British Empire, casinos were a stage when risk brought reward in storytelling.
Did the gamble Bollywood took pay off?
TV dramas are now where audiences turn to for entertainment, the success of Netflix is evident of this. The answer the industry gave people in India was a new show that was simply called, The Casino. This is India’s Boardwalk Empire, so to speak. The 10-episode drama looked at the power play that goes on between the heir of a casino and his father’s mistress.
This show aired in 2020 for one season and is looking to make its long-awaited return in 2021/22
The show stars Karanvir Bohra, Mandana Karimi, Sudhanshu Pandey, and Aindrita Ray.
The success of the show led to many other studio projects that were able to be edgier and darker. The simple chances that studios took in handling topics and situations outside of the norm, enriched the qualities of film production and that bled into the TV industry in India.
Culture change in India and casinos
There is a shift happening within India and how it views gambling. Since the end of 1947 when the British left India, there have been obvious changes in the laws, as we see the tourist hot spots of the country inviting people into the casinos of Goa and Sikkim and many other parts.
Right now, Indian is going through an online revolution, with several online casinos targeted at Indians. Former sports stars and current actors are supporting the gambling platforms found on the world wide web. Hired as ambassadors they become the face of the business.
You have Nawazuddin Siddiqui backing the site of Pokerstars India. You have former adult actress Sunny Leone being the face of Jeetwin that hosts her own live game.
The actor Arjun Rampal is the brand ambassador of Poker High having followed in the footsteps of actress Anita Hassanandani as she became the face of Poker Raj.
These are unprecedented times for the online industry as high profiled names are now making a stand in support of the freedom to gamble, to give people of India the choice again.
Currently, as the law stands, no business within India can make an online platform, as this would be in direct competition with the government’s own lottery, sports betting, and casino services. But also, poker is a game still banned in India as it’s seen as a game of skill, rather than luck.
Therefore, all the casinos open to the Indian market are actually overseas, foreign sites licensed to service players from within India’s borders.
Actors have played the role of both star and casino. India has come full-circle in presenting casinos in two very different lights. Cinematically, the shift from cinema to TV allowed for the acceptance of gambling to reach a wider audience.