After
Sita
Raman,
this
is
a
Dulquer
Salmaan
film
that
has
won
Divya
Nair’s
heart.
At
a
time
when
OTT
and
multiplexes
are
ridden
with
films
on
violence,
action
and
horror,
this
Diwali
has
a
special
surprise
in
the
form
of
Lucky
Baskhar.
Written
and
directed
by
Venky
Atluri
(his
last
film
Vaathi
was
in
Tamil),
LB
is
an
interesting
con
drama
set
in
the
’80s
with
a
story
that
keeps
you
hooked
from
the
first
frame.
Dulquer
Salmaan,
whose
last
Telugu
film
Sita
Raman
was
a
sleeper
hit,
plays
Baskhar
Kumar,
a
sincere,
hardworking
cashier
at
a
bank
who
is
facing
a
CBI
investigation
for
having
a
whopping
Rs
1
crore
in
his
bank
account.
How
a
middle-class
bank
employee
managed
to
earn
so
much
money
in
such
little
time
is
what
Lucky
Baskhar
is
all
about.
The
story
takes
us
through
Baskhar’s
debt-ridden
past
and
his
days
of
misfortune.
Back
in
the
day,
his
middle-class
problems
included
debts,
sponsoring
his
younger
brother’s
higher
education,
and
younger
sister’s
marriage.
With
a
monthly
salary
of
Rs
6,000,
Baskhar
struggled
to
make
ends
meet,
evading
his
creditors
while
still
keeping
his
morals
high
and
putting
a
smile
on
his
face.
So
when
the
local
loan
shark
Patel
bhai
chases
him
in
the
middle
of
the
street,
rips
off
his
pocket
only
to
find
it
empty,
and
takes
away
his
scooter,
Baskhar
makes
you
feel
bad
for
him.
Later,
on
the
same
day
when
he
is
denied
a
promotion
at
his
bank,
you
notice
the
circumstances
that
changed
him.
Next,
you
see
how
he
intelligently
scams
the
bank’s
vault
entries
to
loan
money
and
make
profits,
thus
turning
illegal
transactions
to
everyone’s
benefit.
The
story
is
simple,
it’s
not
flawless.
There
is
nothing
extraordinary
that
we
haven’t
heard
or
seen
before.
There
are
logical
interruptions
and
twists
as
well,
but
the
characters
and
situations
are
so
well-written
that
you
enjoy
Baskhar’s
journey
just
like
he
wants
you
to.
Dulquer
is
endearing
as
the
middle-class
bank
employee
who
can’t
afford
an
extra
vada
pav
for
his
family,
but
ends
up
spending
Rs
65
lakh
in
a
single
day
simply
because
his
ego
was
hurt.
When
a
middle-class
Indian’s
self-respect
is
injured,
the
transition
can
range
from
a
heart
attack
that
collapses
you
further
to
you
buying
a
five
star
restaurant
and
rolling
in
a
Rolls
Royce.
This
may
not
be
the
first
rags-to-riches
story
or
even
the
last
but
one
of
the
reasons,
I
believe
conman
Baskhar’s
story
will
stand
out
is
because
he
shows
you
why
his
heart
is
in
the
right
place.
Like,
on
the
day
he
is
denied
a
promotion,
when
one
of
his
colleagues
asks
him
how
he
can
be
so
normal,
he
says:
‘If
something
unexpected
happened
for
30
minutes,
I
can’t
spend
the
rest
of
the
day
crying
about
it.’
Similarly,
a
scam
is
a
scam,
but
when
you
do
it
to
earn
respect
for
and
from
your
family,
the
emotion
changes
drastically.
And
when
you
play
Robin
Hood,
helping
others
as
you
rise
up
the
ladder,
there
is
a
certain
goodwill
that
masks
the
seriousness
of
the
crime.
Like
every
con
artiste,
Baskhar
has
his
ethics
too,
which
he
expresses
from
time
to
time,
establishing
his
character
and
goodwill.
When
he
speaks
about
leverage,
masking
the
lies,
and
knowing
when
to
stop
and
quit,
you
fall
in
love
with
the
character.
But
he
is
not
flawless
and
he
expresses
it
well.
When
Baskhar’s
wife
scolds
him
that
he
is
a
changed
man,
he
rightfully
defends
himself:
‘I
am
not
bad,
I
am
just
rich.’
There
are
several
heart-warming
moments
in
the
film
that
distinguishes
this
con
thriller
from
a
regular
family
drama.
For
example,
Baskhar’s
relationship
with
each
of
his
family
members,
especially
his
father,
wife,
and
son,
is
established
at
the
right
intervals,
keeping
you
further
engaged
in
the
story.
The
non-linear
style
of
storytelling
works
brilliantly,
spruced
with
scintillating
music
by
G
V
Prakash.
In
many
ways,
Lucky
Baskhar
reminded
me
of
Special
26
—
where
the
scam
was
all
about
the
right
timing
coupled
with
a
bit
of
intelligence
and
a
lot
of
courage.
Lucky
Baskhar
sparingly
references
the
stock
market
scam
of
the
’90s
but
explains
it
beautifully
with
everyday
examples
without
boring
you
with
jargon.
Dulquer
is
refreshing
to
watch
as
the
storyteller
with
a
mischievous
grin.
Meenakshi
is
delightful
to
watch
as
Sumathi,
Bhasker’s
wife.
P
Sai
Kumar,
Sachin
Khedekar,
and
Tinnu
Anand
are
entertaining
in
their
supporting
roles.
After
Sita
Raman,
this
is
a
DQ
film
that
has
won
my
heart.
If
con
dramas
interest
you,
you
will
certainly
enjoy
watching
Lucky
Baskhar
with
your
family.
Lucky
Baskhar
Review
Rediff
Rating:
