‘Lucky Baskhar’ movie review: An entertaining drama from Venky Atluri and Dulquer Salmaan

Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary in ‘Lucky Baskhar’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Lucky Baskhar, the Telugu film written and directed by Venky Atluri, employs the narrative technique of creating tense moments before a twist, then retracing a few steps to reveal the events that led to it, at sporadic intervals. The first time this happens, it is an indication of what the titular character is capable of. When this technique is repeated, there is the danger of it falling flat. There are occasions when we can pre-empt a twist, but the manner in which it unfolds brings a smile. This relationship drama woven around a financial scam is Atluri’s best work till date and is anchored by a powerhouse Dulquer Salmaan, who shifts seamlessly from a common man struggling to make ends meet to a shrewd banker driven by the need to make quick money.

The film begins with Baskhar breaking the fourth wall and telling us, the audiences, his story. Banglan’s production design recreates a lower middle class locality of Bombay of 1989-92, with Nimish Ravi’s camera snaking through the grey-tinged walls of the houses and the narrow, congested lanes. 

The first hour of the film moves along familiar lines. Baskhar leads a hand-to-mouth existence, having to support his wife, son, two siblings and an ailing father. He is forever in debt and cannot afford three plates of vada pav. It is no surprise when Baskhar faces the wrath of a money lender, or when his family gets humiliated. In short, things go from bad to worse. 

It is easy to guess that Baskhar will take the bait to make quick money. In these portions, the writing spells out every single detail in a bid to make it easier for everyone to understand Baskhar’s stealthy methods at the bank. 

Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary in ‘Lucky Baskhar’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The relationship drama unravels simultaneously. When we first see Baskhar and Sumathi (Meenakshi Chaudhary), they are in sync with each other, having shouldered each other through tough times. The origins of their romance and the family frictions are revealed briefly in a song, negating the need for further explanation. While some characters in the family are on expected lines, a few characters — the father who keeps to himself and the six-year-old son who shares both his stress factors and his smartness — hold a few surprises.

The 1989-1992 setting allows the makers to bring in references to manipulation of the stock market and money laundering through a character similar to Harshad Mehta. The name is slightly tweaked and Atluri uses this creative liberty to present his own version of a banking and trading scam. If the fraud done by Baskhar in the initial portions can be attributed partly to his luck and partly to the lack of surveillance (an era before CCTV cameras), the later portions hold the key to smart storytelling.

At midpoint, when Baskhar breaks the fourth wall once again to tell us that the story has just begun, he means every word.

Venky Atluri shifts to top gear in the later portions and gets into the murky ways of money laundering and how everyone, from bank managers to small time businesses, willingly or unwittingly, are a part of a large scam. The writing explains the modus operandi in simple terms but does not spoon feed. Baskhar’s character goes through a transformation, from rags to riches, and also lays bare his arrogance. Sumathi is more or less the conscience keeper but is her resistance enough to show Baskhar the mirror? 

The story skillfully uses some of its supporting characters to make Baskhar introspect. But having gone too deep into the mess, can he swim to safety? Will he be allowed to? The narrative rarely pauses and keeps us guessing on Baskhar’s next move.

Dulquer Salmaan in ‘Lucky Baskhar’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Dulquer portrays Baskhar with all sincerity. He is endearing as a middle class man and does not hesitate to wear his arrogance on his sleeve in the later portions. The look (by Archana Rao) also helps to enhance his transformation into a man who splurges at the drop of a hat. The silver strands that have begun to show are signs of his mounting stress. Dulquer is in control, both in speaking the language and enhancing the solid writing in the later portions. In scenes where he hardly has a word or two to speak, he conveys it all through his emotions and makes it look effortless. Meenakshi gets a reasonably well-written part and portrays her character effectively. Rajkumar Kasireddy, Maganti Srikanth, Hyper Aadhi, Ramki, Tinu Anand and Sachin Khedekar are adequate in their parts. The smaller moments that come through Baskhar’s colleagues, including the part played by Gayatri Bhargavi, help to explore how Baskhar loses and regains his humane nature.

GV Prakash Kumar’s score is never subtle. While it considerably infuses life into the proceedings, in a few portions it makes it easy to gauge what is in store. A turning point towards the final portions is an example. Perhaps some ambiguity would have helped maintain the suspense.

The film discusses Baskhar’s moral compass without getting preachy and scores when it talks about knowing when and how to stop. In Baskhar’s words, well played, indeed!

Lucky Baskhar is currently running in theatres