Dubai-based Indian businessman and Bollywood producer Rajan Lall has won $1 million in the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire raffle, just six days after celebrating his 79th birthday — a moment he describes as “the best birthday gift ever.”
Lall, who lives in a sea-facing mansion on Palm Jumeirah, purchased the winning ticket — number 3099 in Series 535 — at Concourse D on January 30 during a recent trip to Mumbai. He was later informed of his win while in Saudi Arabia and admits he had almost forgotten about buying the ticket.
“I have been buying one ticket every year for 25 years and never won anything,” Lall said. “In fact, I was just telling a friend that I never win. It feels surreal.”
Despite his affluent lifestyle, the win has sparked light-hearted debate about whether the wealthy should continue to get richer. Lall’s response was candid: “When was life ever fair? And what makes you think I don’t need the money?”
While he has not yet decided what to do with the prize money, he says he is simply enjoying the moment — and looking forward to the upcoming India vs Pakistan cricket clash.
Lall’s life story reads like a Bollywood script. He has survived cancer, four heart attacks and significant financial setbacks. In the 1990s, he left Mumbai following income tax troubles and alleged extortion threats, relocating to Dubai in his fifties to start over.
His early days in the UAE were marked by struggle. “I earned Dh90 a day and ate Maggi noodles,” he once recalled. With Dh70,000 borrowed from Salim Khan, he began selling garment hangers, gradually rebuilding his fortunes.
Though business flourished, Bollywood remained close to his heart. He earned the title “Dubbing King of India” after successfully marketing the Hindi version of the Tamil hit Apoorva Sagodharargal as Appu Raja.
Now, at 79, Lall sees the win not just as financial gain, but as another unexpected twist in an extraordinary life.
