'Lucky Baskhar' movie review: An enthralling middle-class revenge fable

 

'Lucky Baskhar' movie review: An enthralling middle-class revenge fable'Lucky Baskhar' movie review: Lucky Baskhar is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language period crime drama film written and directed by Venky Atluri. It is produced by S. Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya under Sithara Entertainments, Fortune Four Cinema and Srikara Studios. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan in the titular role, alongside Meenakshi Chaudhary, Tinnu Anand, P. Sai Kumar, Ramki, Raghu Babu, Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, Sachin Khedekar and Y. Kasi Viswanath. In the film, a lower-middle-class man begins engaging in financial scams after struggling to support his family while battling debt and humiliation.

The film was officially announced in May 2023 and its title followed in July. Principal photography commenced in October, predominantly in Hyderabad. Lucky Baskhar has music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography handled by Nimish Ravi and editing by Naveen Nooli.

Lucky Baskhar released worldwide on 31 October 2024, coinciding with Deepawali, to positive reviews from critics. Emerging as the highest grosser of Dulquer, it grossed ₹107–₹111.15 crore at the box office.

Plot

One morning in 1992 Bombay, Baskhar Kumar is suddenly taken by CBI officials to the Colaba branch of Magadha Bank for interrogation about his alleged embezzlement of its funds during his employment to conduct securities fraud. The real story is revealed through various flashbacks featuring Baskhar breaking the fourth wall regularly to provide additional commentary.

Three years earlier, Baskhar is a cashier in Magadha, one of the few remaining private banks in India following nationalisation. On the side, he helps uneducated people write checks and banking forms for a fee. He lives with his wife Sumathi, who left her rich family to be with him and aspires to start a home food business, their young son Karthik, and Prahalad, Baskhar's father, a former chartered accountant who was paralyzed and became voluntarily mute after being scammed into a bad business deal. Their finances are strained and Baskhar owes many creditors money.

One day, his biggest creditor takes his scooter and the promotion he had always hoped for is given to someone else. Humiliated and desperate, Baskhar steals two lakh rupee from the bank's deposits and gives it to Anthony, a smuggler, to release illegally imported televisions at the port after his previous financiers backed out. Along with Baskhar's friend Samba, a peon at the same bank, they successfully release the TVs and earn double the money, allowing them to replace the stolen cash and make a profit. More shipments come in over the next few months, enabling Baskhar to pay off his debts and improve his family's lives.

Anthony plans one last shipment before leaving the trade and joining his nephew in America, this time of three foreign cars, upping the stakes with a payment of ten lakh. Baskhar initially hesitates, but his son's happiness from their new lifestyle changes his mind. A raid on the original buyer scuttles their initial plans, and they have to go to a dealer in Goa instead over the weekend. By masquerading as government cars and using fake politicians played by beggars and an exotic dancer, they evade government checkpoints and pull it off. Baskhar manages to return the money again but finds out that the managers in the bank have been arrested for their own fraudulent scheme, placing extra scrutiny. However, their removal paves the way for Baskhar to get the promotion, increasing his salary. Samba continues in the smuggling business while Baskhar stops.

As assistant general manager, Baskhar discovers inconstencies in bank receipts for interbank loans to Katari Bank, learning that businessman Harsha Mehra uses the money to manipulate the share market and paid off the bank to keep quiet. Initially prepared to blow the whistle, his son accidentally shows him how lucrative cooperation would be to achieve his family's dreams. and he makes a deal with Katari Bank's broker Suraj to clear the receipts in exchange for a cut and stock tips. Using the stock gains and an unscrupulous hawala agent, he is able to  his income, first through a winning lottery ticket and afterwards by setting up Sumathi's home foods business. This scheme enriches Baskhar, making his family rich but also turning him into an arrogant, cold man, distancing him from Sumathi, who eventually destroys the business in anger. Prahalad breaks his silence and reveals he knew about the scheme, warning him of the perils of greed. Sumathi learns the business is a front by overhearing him, making her shun him completely; Baskhar changes and wins her back after he becomes more humble. He further rethinks his life after bailing out Samba, who was caught and arrested, losing all his earnings.

Baskhar discovers that Harsha had forged bank letters from Katari Bank to get higher amounts, causing their general manager Hariharan to die of a heart attack in his office. This prompts Baskhar to halt cooperation with Suraj, despite pressure from his superiors who wish to keep him as a customer, and report the fraud to the Reserve Bank of India. After the general manager threatens Baskhar over his refusal to sign, he resigns. It turns out that the CBI officers are actually in the employ of the GM and chairman of Magadha, who took a larger share from Harsha  perpetuate the fraud. Threatening to disrupt his family's peace, they coax him to sign off on the remaining transfers using his bank account before an audit the next day. On that day, however, they learn that Baskhar had previously closed his account, rendering the transfers invalid and triggering an investigation that collapses Mehra's empire and arrests the Magadha leadership. Meanwhile, Baskhar and his family left the country, having previously bought a hotel in Boston to obtain an American investment visa with the help of Anthony and Prahalad's contacts, and continue living luxuriously.

Cast

• Dulquer Salmaan as Baskhar Kumar, cashier and later Assistant General Manager of Magadha Bank, Colaba
• Meenakshi Chaudhary as Sumathi, Baskhar's wife
• Tinnu Anand as Rajbir Lokhande, Chairman of Magadha Bank
• P. Sai Kumar as CBI Officer Laxman Rao
• Ramki as Anthony, Import dealer
• Raghu Babu as a fake politician
• Maanasa Choudhary as Mona, a dancer
• Sarvadaman D. Banerjee as Prahalad Kumar, Baskhar's father
• Kalyani as Ramya Dikshit
• Sachin Khedekar as Vinod Bhosle, General Manager of Magadha Bank, Colaba