Remember the line from the Hollywood film The Colour of Money that went 'money won is twice as sweet as money earned.' Well, this sentiment looms large each Diwali in Bollywood.
In the week leading up to Laxmi Pujan, amounts running into several lakhs are lost and found at the famous Bollywood patta parties.
And the card parties correspond to increasing fortunes of the industry; just like the movies, the stakes at the tables are very high.
On the cards
Guess which is the most sought-after address this Diwali? Shilpa Shetty and millionaire husband Raj Kundra's new house overlooking Mumbai's Juhu beach where the crème-de-la-crème of Bollywood will converge for dual celebrations on November 5: house-warming and Diwali.
The guest list starts with biggies like SRK (who will be shooting Don-2 in Berlin) and peters down to several of his cronies who have made "partying and gambling a way of life".
Proud parents Sanjay Dutt and Manyata will give this bash a miss but the Bachchans are expected to drop by.
For very obvious reasons Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle have not received an invitation, but beauties like Rani Mukerji, Amisha Patel and Kangna Ranaut will lend glamour.
Mrs Moneybags Kundra is guarded about her big bash: "It is a very intimate affair, more a house-warming cum Diwali party.
Not much of a card party as it seems. Of course, we will play cards as is customary."
Her husband, the grapevine goes, has a terrific winning streak at the tables in Vegas.
And he can beat anyone at Poker. "Yes," says Shilpa, "I have learnt to play Poker from Raj. While I am a novice, he is very good.''
The regulars
Interestingly the least advertised card party each year is held at Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan's Bandra home.
Half a dozen card tables are put up at his first floor Union Park residence where Flush, Poker and Rummy are played.
The stakes, they say, ranges from Rs 5 a point to Rs 5,000 a point. His visitors: Some of the biggest advertising names, a top cop and reportedly even stock-market badshah Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.
A Bollywood celeb says, "Last year Kunal Kohli walked away with a booty adding up to lakhs.
While some of us who were playing with smaller stakes lost in thousands." While he may be a great host, Aamir reportedly is not as good at the game as he is with his films.
Nephew Imran Khan has no fascination for card parties. "I'm so bad at even reading cards that everyone around me gets irritated,'' says the light-eyed actor.
Interestingly, Imran's idol Salman Khan too has no interest in cards.
Says Salim Khan, Salman's dad, "I spend Diwali with poor children around our farm in Panvel. Sometimes Salman joins me. We buy them crackers and sweets."
But the Dabangg Khandaan will definitely have their family card bash for close friends. "Arbaaz, my daughter Alvira and my wife Salma enjoy a game every Diwali,'' says Salim. "Helen doesn't, nor do I."
Past masters
But when it comes to the king of card parties, yesteryear's superstar Jeetendera continues to rule the roost. His sprawling bungalow Krishna is crammed with tables on two floors giving it the feel of an Atlanta casino.
Small and big tables are decorated beautifully with bright velvet table-cloth; rummy counters, change and notes dispensing facilities are available with a bar in the far corner of the room.
Regulars include Dimple Kapadia, Rakesh Roshan, Hiroo Johar (Karan's mother), Bubbles Behl (Sonali Bendre's mother-in-law) and Shobha Kapoor.
Jeetendra maintains, "It is a tradition every Diwali."
Cards, in fact, are a way of life with Jeetendra and his close circle; they enjoy a weekly game, round the year, at a five-star hotel room.
This year, son Tusshar Kapoor is hosting a bash for 50 selected guests at his own bachelor pad a day before his family's Diwali party.
Kareena Kapoor will co-host this one but Tusshar, a self-admitted 'amateur gambler' says, "Cards will not be the mainstay though there will be a few people who will play."
Akshay Kumar, Bollywood's original Khiladi has a card thumb too say sources. He's one of the best card players in the movies, usually walking away with killer wins.
Partners Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani usually host a card party at Bandstand each year though they will be missing this year because of the Don-2 shoot.
Chunky Panday, a regular at Farhan's is gearing up to go to Shilpa's this Diwali. The actor says he has hopeless luck at the tables and gets into a tizzy if he loses.
"I don't have the jigar(guts) to lose big money,'' says Chunky but apparently his wife Bhavna is a keen gambler and each year her birthday on June 21 is spent at the Black Jack tables in Las Vegas.
New names
The new names on the Bollywood card party games include Sanjay Gaikwad, the digital king and television producer Manish Goswami.
At the latter's professional card affair at a huge club in Juhu, reportedly Sunil Gavaskar and Subhash Ghai try their luck.
But Karan Johar who has already visited a couple of cards parties this season has the last word.
"I have no patience with gambling. I play cards only because it is a tradition though I end up losing most often.
Film-making has become such a gamble these days. I would much rather lose money on making films than at the card table."
What's a party without some gossip? Here are some juicy bits that have emerged over the years
1 An actor and a villain got into a nasty fight over a game of cards a few seasons ago. They came to blows.
2 A yesteryear beauty is such a heavy gambler, she usually has stacks of hard cash sitting by her side when she plays cards. At times, she doesn't even get up to go the toilet for hours on end.
3 A superstar's wife has locked up his cheque book because his gambling debts ran into crores.
4 A crony of a superstar runs his home only on gambling income.
5 The brother of an actor was thrown out of a local club because he couldn't clear his gambling debts.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Bollywoods-great-gamblers/articleshow/6845394.cms
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