Lucky Baskhar review: Dulquer Salmaan’s heist drama is a well crafted entertainer

Dulquer Salmaan is back on the big screen after more than a year. This time he is the leading man in the multilingual movie Lucky Baskhar, directed by Telugu director Venky Atluri.

This marks Dulquer Salmaan’s third venture in Telugu, after Sita Ramam and Mahanati.

The movie had maximum promotions and the makers seemed confident about their product. After the first shows of the movie, there is good word about Lucky Baskhar. Let’s check what the movie is about and what are the brownie points the movie carries.

Synopsis

The movie touted to be a thriller is set in the 90s in Mumbai, against the backdrop of the banking sector, stock market, and money laundering.

Baskhar is a middle-class man, working as a cashier at Magadha Bank in Bombay. He has a family to feed and is struggling to meet the ends with the meagre salary of a cashier.

However, Baskhar is cunning and crooked and is trying everything possible to get rich. Soon enough he gets involved in a fraud and starts to make fast money. As the movie progresses, Baskhar starts to climb the ladder in his bank, he is promoted and also amasses wealth. At a certain point, Harshad Mehta, the stockbroker involved in the 1992 stock exchange scam is also mentioned.

Baskhar’s wife Sumathi is played by Meenakshi Chaudhary. In the film, she is a strong pillar of support to Baskhar, but opposes him, when she comes to know of his alleged scams.

How has Baskhar changed after becoming rich? Does he encounter any problems along the way? Does he get caught when a high-level investigation is set up? Watch the movie to get these answers.

Lucky Baskhar has all the elements for an entertaining watch, including family drama, money laundering and investigation in the right mix.

Also Read: Dulquer Salmaan to be back this Deepavali after an year

A strong script

The script of Lucky Baskhar written by Venky Atluri is filled with moments for Dulquer Salmaan’s fans to cheer. From the initial introduction scene itself, the movie gets its momentum.

Initial scenes involving money laundering and the removal of currency notes from the bank have been shot well. The first half shows how Baskhar, a middle-class man strives to make money and also throws light on the serious frauds he is involved in.

In the second half, the movie shows Bashkar as a wealthy man who dares to question people. This conversion of the character has been written well, adding to his arc.

Although the film doesn’t dvelve deep into the technical aspects of financial fraud, the audience is kept engaged. The makers also took care of the detailing concerning ledgers and other financial documents, with the film being set in the 90s.

Baskhar is always a hero in the movie and whatever he does is meant to get claps from the audience. Meanwhile, the movie is also a reminder of the stock market scam that rocked the financial sector in the 1990s.

Also Read: Dulquer Salmaan’s ‘Lucky Baskhar’ to hit the screens on 31 October

Technical aspects

Lucky Baskhar has good artwork by Banglan, the production designer of the movie. The 90s era of Bombay (Mumbai) has been recreated well by him. Especially the streets of Bombay and the creation of an old-model bank was a good effort. The old chequebook, bank receipts and even currency notes will make people go down memory lane.

Cinematography by Nimish Ravi is another important aspect of the movie as he has captured the visuals of Mumbai. It was good to see such scenes like the busy Bombay with old taxis on the road.

Music is another major highlight of the movie. The melody songs composed by GV Prakash Kumar have worked in theatres. The background score has also elevated some crucial scenes in the movie.

Performances

Lucky Baskhar has some good performances by lead actors. Dulquer Salmaan as the title character was impressive in the movie. His mannerisms as a middle-class man and as a wealthy man were good to see.

Dulquer Salmaan performed well, especially in the emotional scenes involving his family.

Meenakshi Chaudhary as Sumathi had an equal role as Baskhar’s wife. Interestingly her character is also well-written and it’s good to see a woman character get good screen space in a hero-oriented movie.

Other actors such as Ramki and Sachin Gud also had good roles in the movie.

Final take

Lucky Baskhar is a well-made heist drama that has all the elements to be a complete entertainer. Dulquer Salmaan’s performance is a major highlight of the movie.

(Views expressed here are personal. Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula.)