It’s certainly a glamorous and hard-working life as a Bollywood star. So when they’re not on the film set or publicizing their latest movie, they need to relax on their time off.
Some head for luxury retreats or on exotic holidays. But others can’t resist the lure of the casino, or even the urge to recreate one in their own luxurious homes to hold lavish parties.
Of course, they’re not alone in this. Across the world, there are millions of people who love the thrill of the flashing slots , spinning roulette wheels, and expertly dealt cards.
So who are these thrill-seeking stars of the big screen? Here’s a quick rundown.
Arjun Rampal Best-known for appearances in movies like Rajneeti and Rock On, Arjun Rampul is, like many Bollywood stars, a huge fan of card games.
Asked to explain his love of the game he’s been recorded as saying, ” After a tiring day, people look for little victories to keep them going”.
It seems that, for him, many of those moments of triumph come from the poker table.
Akshay Kumar Akshay or, to give him his full name Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, is as big in Canada as he is in his home country of India.
Said to have a net worth of quite jaw-dropping $240 million, he likes to spend at least a little of his wealth at the casino.
He also likes to share his passion with his family – to celebrate her 80th birthday he even took his mother on a trip to some casinos in Singapore.
Anita Hassanandani Anita first came into the public eye in films like Hero, Maharaja, and Just Married. But it was on the small screen in the soap opera Kavyanjali that she really made her name.
Her fame has also led to her becoming a brand ambassador for one of India’s most popular poker platforms PokerRaj – and she’s also well known to play frequently herself.
Jeetendra Jeetendra is truly a man of many talents. Not only is he a veteran actor with a long list of credits behind him, he’s also produced TV shows and movies as well as heading up a number of Indian entertainment platforms.
His Diwali casino parties in his Mumbai home are legendary – and serious. So seriously he is said to install cash dispensers to keep the players playing.
Sunny Leone The second lady on our list not only loves a visit to the casino, she’s also been honored in a very special way.
There aren’t very many people who can say that they have a slot game created in their honor, but Sunny Leone is one of them.
It’s called Bollywood Diva and features images of Sunny all over its spinning reels.
Amy Jackson Rummy is the game of choice for the star of huge box-office hits like Singh is Bling, and English Bollywood star Amy Jackson.
She combines her love of the card game with being one of the official brand ambassadors for the online platform Rummy Passion.
Her involvement has helped to make it an imperative destination for rummy fans everywhere.
Do you know? Money raised from gambling and lotteries has been used to fund many public building projects, including the construction of The Great Wall of China.
Harman Baweja Baweja is another big name in the world of Bollywood movies who likes to enjoy a hand or two of poker. In fact, he is a familiar face at tournaments both at home and abroad.
It’s thought that his favorite version of the game is Texas Hold’em and, with a personal fortune estimated to be over $5 million, he must be doing something right.
Aamir Khan They call him Mr. Perfectionist because of all the time and effort that he puts into every new role that he’s asked to take on.
And he applies the same very high standards to the poker and card parties that he’s known to put on for friends at the Union Park Bungalow. No expense is spared in creating an authentic casino atmosphere.
Minissha Lamba Another big seven-card fan, Minissha Lamba is often found competing in poker tournaments in Goa.
And once, when filming the hit movie Bheja Fry 2, she headed off to the casino on a night off and reportedly won enough money to not only go on a major shopping spree for herself but to buy a few costumes for the movie too.
Raj Babbar Last, but by no means least comes Raj Babbar. He is known to like all kinds of casino games and finds playing them a great way to escape from his busy filming commitments.
He’s joined by many other big names from Bollywood including Rakesh Roshan, Karan Johar, and Dimple Kapadia who are no strangers to this place themselves.
After all, when making a hit movie is always going to be battling the odds, it’s no surprise that its stars like to do this in their spare time too.
