Lucky Baskhar movie review: A terrific Dulquer Salmaan powers this brilliant Venky Atluri film

Recently, there was this news about a young person trying to arm twist a major conglomerate into paying his college expenses in exchange for a domain name. Now, in that story, we all have our own reasons to side with either of those parties. But, in some way, you want the underdog to win. It is cathartic to see them win. That is why we love blue-collar crime that happens against white collar criminals. We love our grey shaded heroes, who might or might not have to face judgement day when the tide clears. That is exactly why we root for Baskhar at every step of his life. The film effortlessly pulls off one of the toughest requirements of cinema. It makes the audience think ‘What would I do if I was Baskhar?’

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Baskhar is a nice guy, who loses a job to an incompetent person, loses his social standing, becomes emotionally vulnerable in the workplace, and is insulted by the powers that be. Now, an salaried employee in India would face all this at some point of their lives. Do they all turn into Baskhars? Nope. But do they all wish to turn into Baskhars who potentially show the finger to the system? Definitely. 

When the film’s name is Lucky Baskhar, there is no point questioning the immense luck that is bestowed upon Baskhar. Whenever he gets caught up in his own web of lies, the film pulls him out of it without really raising the stakes. Since the writing ensures we are rooting for him at every step of the way, we aren’t really bothered about the missing answers to a bunch of questions. And it is through the terrific performances and the top-notch technicalities that Venky keeps these questions at bay. 

Dulquer Salmaan is brilliant as Baskhar, and he brings in a cherubic playfulness to a role that also needed gravitas. It isn’t an easy mix, but Dulquer makes it seem so. How does he seem to be a perfect fit in every film that is set a minimum three decades earlier? The costumes are perfectly in sync with his hairstyle and spectacles. He is as old school as it can get, and his charm does the rest. Dulquer is ably supported by Meenakshi Chaudhary, who gets a full-fledged role as Baskhar’s wife Sumathi, and she is the emotional anchor of the film. Meenakshii is quite convincing as the woman with a mix of right morals and buried resentment. It is a rather interesting melange, and her responses to Baskhar’s actions keep him, and us on our toes. The film is filled with fine actors playing well-rounded characters that wonderfully aid the narrative. Be it the entire bank staff, Baskhar’s acquaintance Antony (Ramki), his family members, and even the runners of Dalal street, everyone gets a solid character, and full points to Venky for sketching them with integrity. This, in turn, ensures that even in stretches that threaten to derail the almost perfect ride, we are invested in the happenings because we want to see what they bring to the table. 

The production design of Lucky Baskhar is almost perfect, and Bangalan’s work stands tall among other equally power-packed performances. The recreation of the era is both in-your-face to kindle nostalgia and subtle to dial down the showboating. Venky and GV Prakash combo create magic once again with Lucky Baskhar, and special mention to the background score. Cinematography of Nimish Ravi and editing by Navin Nooli add to the madcap nature of the film. Special mention to the fourth wall breaking monologues of Baskhar, which are so audacious that it is intentionally funny. The same can be said of many scenes where the outlandishness takes centre stage. Even before we go, “How did this even happen?” Venky incorporates an emotionally charged scene that makes us brush past the incredulity. Even the lead up to the third act, which is probably the only time Venky lets go off the reins slightly, serves its purpose because it gives the filmmaker time and space to pull the rug right from under our feet at the right time. 

Director Venky Atluri is a smart writer. He is absolutely enamoured by his own idea of setting his recent film Lucky Baskhar in the late 80s and early 90s. Venky is like a kid in a candy shop, except that he owns the shop, decides on the stock, and yet, is still excited by the prospects of using it to his liking. Venky Atluri is an interesting voice in mainstream commercial Telugu cinema. He isn’t interested in simply telling a story. He uses the melodrama of the 80s, but treats it with the expectations of 2024. He uses the ‘Angry Young Man’ trope and the ‘Haarke jeetne waale ko Baazigar kehte hain’ trope of the 80s and 90s, but handles it with the sensibilities of 2024. He uses big banking jargons, but doesn’t stretch it too far to alienate his mainstream audience. What happens with this juxtaposition of decades and ideas is that the film continuously keeps us engaged. Even when there are convenient narrative choices, we don’t mind them. Even when characters conveniently walk in and out of the narrative, we don’t really mind it.

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Such leeways are given mainly because Venky Atluri is a smart writer, who has delivered a compelling film that espouses the biggest truth of life — Luck favours the brave, and this time, the brave is named… Baskhar.

Lucky Baskhar movie cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ayesha Khan, Hyper Aadi, P. Sai Kumar
Lucky Baskhar movie director: Venky Atluri.
Lucky Baskhar movie rating: 3.5 stars