Matka King (मटका किंग)

This is Doorvahini.

Last night, Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi

announced a state of emergency.

INJUSTICE ALWAYS ENDS UP COLLAPSING

Due to this, several opposition leaders have been taken into custody.

Reports of protests and riots are coming in from several parts of the country.

And in several areas, the police have been forced to use

tear gas, water cannons, and have even opened fire.

What do you think?

Will he live or will he die?

How will he live? He is bleeding like an open faucet.

-He will die. -No, no.

The game isn't over until the last ball is bowled.

You're right.

But I don't think he will make it, looking at his condition.

This kind of man doesn't lose to fate.

This guy could outwit death and walk back smiling.

He's surviving, for sure.

-You believe that? -Yeah.

Really?

Then how about we bet on it?

If he lives, you get double, and if he dies, I get double.

What are you saying?

Okay, fine, I'll increase the winning amount.

The winner will get 50 times the sum we bet.

Fifty times? What do you mean?

I mean, you will get 250 for betting five.

250 for five?

What do you say? Want to bet?

Okay.

Only two things are certain in life.

You were born, and you will die.

Between life and death, come opportunities.

And the game of life is all about betting on those chances.

Brij Bhatti was the man who seized the moment and made so much money,

that even the government treasury seemed like loose change next to him.

But after putting his own life on the line, only one question remained.

Who was going to win?

Life or destiny.

ANMOL BAZAAR GODOWN NO. 5

RATE PAIR

LAXMI PODDAR CHAWL

Brij, the doctor's note is on the table.

Please get my medicine on your way home.

Okay, I will.

You should wake up your brother-in-law sometimes.

He sleeps till noon every day.

If he accidentally steps out during the day,

he might wonder what that big yellow thing in the sky is.

Tell him to look for a job!

Let him sleep…

-See you. -Yes, bye.

Yes!

Oh, Poddar seth.

How are you?

Bhatti. Today is the 11th.

Where is the rent?

I'll give it to you, seth.

That is what you always say. I won't spare you today.

Poddar seth, I heard you got a contract

to construct three new chawls in Belwadi.

Don't forget about us, seth.

If you count all of the houses in these three chawls, it's 180 homes.

They are all worn down.

Apte Uncle, who lives downstairs, his wall is leaking so much limestone

that he puts it on his paan and eats it.

-It was painted long ago-- -There is seepage everywhere.

Water is constantly leaking. Drip, drip, drip.

And in the monsoon, it's like a flood.

It's 50 years--

It leaks so badly that it looks like an attached bathroom.

Look at these stairs.

So shaky, could break any day now.

My wife is pregnant. She climbs these stairs every day.

What if something happens to her?

If news spreads in the market,

then nobody will want to live in the Belwadi chawl, is what I'm trying to say.

If anyone here gets electrocuted, you will feel the pain.

That is why I am telling you, get all this fixed.

Yes, fine! I will do it.

But I want the rent by the 20th.

Yes, seth, that is your right. I'll give you the money.

Will everything be fixed by the 20th?

Yeah. Let's go.

The city of Bombay pushes people into the water to teach them how to live.

Learn to swim or sink to the bottom.

This is how things worked in Bombay in 1964 as well.

Back then, one rupee was like a few hundred rupees today.

After Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's death

the growing population and rising prices made life miserable for everyone.

And yet, the common man living in Bombay hoped

that even if he had to slave away in a textile mill or cotton market today,

tomorrow would still give him a chance to make it big.

This drives people to do unusual and desperate things

in hope that their lives might change in an instant.

Hey, is she here?

Not yet, sir.

Is she here?

And in the Bombay cotton market, the undisputed king of luck was…

Lalji Bhai Chaggani.

Hey, you shrimp.

Check properly.

Is she here?

She is here.

It's a two, sir.

Dhansuk, it looks like you win again.

Lucky guy…

Accountant sir, did my salary increase?

No.

I have been on the same salary for three years…

It will increase.

I want to bet money too.

Go ahead. How much do you want to bet?

-Fifty. -Fifty paise?

Rupees. 50 rupees.

-Fifty rupees? -Fifty rupees?

Fifty rupees?

Can I do that?

Yes, you can.

What number do you want to bet on?

-Five. -Number five.

How much will I get?

If you win, you'll get double.

But if you lose, then it's all gone.

I understand.

Samba, stop taking bets.

Okay. Close it.

Seth?

It's time.

Hey.

I'm the one who says when it's time.

-Okay, seth. -Send this to me.

Lalji bhai was a grumpy bastard,

but he controlled practically the entire cotton trade of the city.

He owned four or five shops right here in the Bombay cotton market.

He had real standing in the market.

Apart from that, Lalji bhai also ran a gambling game on the side.

Where laborers like me would wager a few paise and try their luck.

Back then, Brij Bhatti was Lalji bhai's manager.

Opening the cards every day was his task.

The first time I laid eyes on Bhatti seth,

I saw a man who wanted to break out of his cage and fly away.

How could I have known that destiny would bring Brij and me face-to-face?

Seth, here are the bets.

Which number has the highest bet?

Fifty on five.

-Cripple (seven) is empty. -Fifty…

Someone get the cripple!

Someone get the cripple,

I am in the mood for the tea he makes.

Seven.

Is it done?

Which number won?

Seven won.

Hey, someone, please get water.

-Hey! -Hey, fetch some water.

Let her sit.

How much did you bet?

-Fifty. -On what?

-On five. -On five?

Why did you spend such a large amount on this?

I really needed the money.

My husband is in the hospital.

This game is not what it used to be.

In the past, bets would be placed

on cotton rates from the New York Cotton Exchange.

We used to bet on those numbers.

That was a fair game.

And now here…

Please understand.

It's all rigged.

Please don't play here again in the future.

Sir!

I will pay you back what I owe you.

Tell her to leave.

You have been asked to leave.

Russi died one year ago because of your bad luck.

Why are you back? Do you want a share of the property?

No, sir, we will not load the goods for the old rates.

We have to pay them for the labor,

and it is back-breaking work on top of that.

I am sick and tired of discussing this every day.

All I need is four people to load the goods onto the truck.

-Then increase the rate. -I can't do that.

-The pay is too low. -Seth!

I will do it.

Forget them, I will do it.

You can pay what you like.

Hey, Dagdu, we are talking to him, aren't we?

Can you do it?

Hundred percent.

I have people, too.

Fine, go ahead.

Seth, have you gone crazy?

You argue with me every single day.

-Why give it to new people? -Seth, thank you.

I am not doing you a favor.

You see, you get paid to do your job,

and I get my work done at a lower price.

It's a win-win.