Lucky Baskhar

Lucky Baskhar
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Venky Atluri
Written by	Venky Atluri
Produced by	Suryadevara Naga Vamsi Sai Soujanya
Starring	Dulquer Salmaan Meenakshi Chaudhary
Cinematography	Nimish Ravi
Edited by	Naveen Nooli
Music by	G. V. Prakash Kumar
Production companies	Sithara Entertainments Fortune Four Cinemas Srikara Studios
Release date	31 October 2024 (2024-10-31)
Running time	151 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹100 crore[1][2][3]
Box office	est. ₹107–111.15 crore[4][5]

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.^[6][7][8]

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.^[5]

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 legitimise 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 Mehra to 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
• Kasi Viswanath as Athish Kulkarni, ex-Assistant Regional Manager of Magadha Bank, Colaba
• Sudha as Sumathi's mother and Baskhar's mother-in-law
• Rajkumar Kasireddy as Samba, Bhaskar's best friend
• Prabhas Sreenu as a visa consultant
• Hyper Aadi as a broker
• Sivannarayana Naripeddi as Narayanan, Vault Manager of Magadha Bank, Colaba
• Gayatri Bhargavi as Latha K., Baskhar and Narayanan's colleague at Magadha Bank, Colaba
• Mathew Varghese as S. Hariharan, General Manager of Katari Bank
• Srinath Maganti as Suraj
• Micky Makhija as Himanshu Roy, Regional Manager of Magadha Bank, Colaba
• Srikanth Reddy
• Manava Koteshwar Rao
• Lab Sharath
• Ram Sandeep Varma Jampana
• Anji Chodapaneedi
• Rahul
• Mahesh Achanta as a stock market analyst
• Manik Reddy as Patel Bhai
• Mukhtar Khan as Captain George
• S. P. Prabhu
• Krishna Kamal as Anwar, Accountant of Sumathi Home Foods
• Shashidhar as Sumathi's elder brother
• Ananya Sharma as Baskhar's younger sister
• Rithvik as Karthik, Baskhar and Sumathi's son
• Charan Lakkaraju as Baskhar's younger brother
• Surya Sreenivas as Sandeep, Baskhar's brother-in-law
• Jayasri Rachakonda

Production

Development

After the success of Vaathi in early 2023, it was reported that Venky Atluri had met Dulquer Salmaan and narrated a script which impressed the actor. Production was reported to begin after Dulquer completes his commitments for King of Kotha (2023).^{[citation needed]} The project would be funded by S. Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya's Sithara Entertainment, Fortune Four Cinemas and Sikara Studios.^[9] The company made a public announcement on 15 May 2023, confirming the project,^[10] and also stating that filming would begin the following October and would be released in the Summer (June–August 2024).^[11] The film's official title, Lucky Bashkar, was announced on 28 July 2023.^[12]

Filming

Principal photography began with the first schedule on 4 October 2023 in Hyderabad.^[13]

Soundtrack

Main article: Lucky Baskhar (soundtrack)

The music of the film was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar.^[14] The audio rights were acquired by Aditya Music.

Release

Theatrical

Lucky Baskhar was released worldwide on 31 October 2024, coinciding Diwali along with dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi languages.^[15] It was initially reported to be released in the month of July 2024^[16] but was postponed to release on 27 September 2024.^[17] Furthur, it was preponed to 7 September 2024 coinciding with Vinayaka Chavithi but was again postponed.^[18]

Home media

The film began streaming on Netflix from 28 November 2024 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages.^[19][20] Star Maa bought movie for Telecasting rights.

Reception

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Lucky Baskhar emerges as a captivating period crime thriller, blending a nostalgic backdrop with a tale of human ambition and resilience."^[21] Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Lucky Bhaskar is a perfect blend of emotions and clever financial themes. It is tough to craft this kind of drama."^[22] Janani K of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Lucky Baskhar works for the major part because of Venky Atluri’s attention to detail and superlative performances."^[23]

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Director Venky Atluri strikes a fine balance between exploring financial scam and relationships in Lucky Baskhar, headlined by a superb Dulquer Salmaan."^[24]

Box office

Lucky Baskhar was a career milestone for Dulquer, in his first 1 billion (£9.4m) gross worldwide.^[25]

References

1. "Dulquer Salman's Lucky Bashkar A Success In Tamil Nadu And Andhra, Not So Much In Kerala". News18. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
2. "ബജറ്റ് 100 കോടി, ലക്കി ഭാസ്കറുമായി തിരിച്ചുവരവിനൊരുങ്ങി ദുൽഖർ". Reporter TV. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
3. Raveendran, Dhanya (14 October 2024). "100 കോടി ബജറ്റിൽ ദുൽഖർ ചിത്രം; മുടക്ക് മുതൽ തിരിച്ചു പിടിക്കുമോ ലക്കി ഭാസ്കർ?". Vellinakshatram. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
4. Dixit, Mohit (27 November 2024). "Box Office: Dulquer Salmaan's Lucky Baskhar wraps up its theatrical run at Rs 107 crore". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
5. nirmal. "ഇപ്പോഴും തിയറ്ററുകളില്‍; ഒടിടി റിലീസ് ദിവസം 'ലക്കി ഭാസ്‍കര്‍' നേടിയത്". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Malayalam). Retrieved 5 December 2024.
6. "Dulquer Salmaan's 'Lucky Baskhar' preponed, film to release on September 7". India Today. 9 July 2024.
7. "Dulquer Salmaan, Meenakshi Chaudhary's Lucky Baskhar gets a new release date for Ganesh Chaturthi". Hindustan times. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
8. "Dulquer Salmaan, Meenakshi Chaudhary's Lucky Baskhar To Now Release On This Date". News18. 9 July 2024. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
9. "Dulquer Salmaan's film with Venky Atluri touted to be pan-Indian action drama". India Today. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
10. PTI (15 May 2023). "Dulquer Salmaan to star in 'Vaathi' director Venky Atluri's next". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
11. "Dulquer Salmaan signs his next Telugu film with Venky Atluri". Bollywood Hungama. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
12. "Dulquer Salmaan's next with Venky Atluri titled Lucky Baskhar". www.dtnext.in. 29 July 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
13. "MAD | Dulquer Salmaan remembers his early days in cinema: We looked like." OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
14. "ബാങ്ക് മോഷണവുമായി ദുൽഖർ; 'ലക്കി ഭാസ്കർ' ടീസർ". Manoramaonline. 11 April 2024. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
15. "Dulquer Salmaan's Lucky Baskhar gets a new release date". Cinema Express. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
16. "Dulquer Salmaan starrer Lucky Baskhar set to release in July". Cinema Express. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
17. "Dulquer Salmaan's Lucky Baskhar gets a new release date". Cinema Express. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
18. "Lucky Baskhar's release date moved up". Cinema Express. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
19. "'Lucky Baskhar' OTT: Dulquer Salmaan starrer starts streaming". The Times of India. 28 November 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
20. "Lucky Baskhar OTT release date: When and where to watch Dulquer Salmaan film". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
21. "Lucky Baskhar Movie Review : Dulquer Salmaan Anchors Atluri's Engaging Retro Crime Drama". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
22. "Lucky Baskhar Movie Review: Dulquer Salmaan's Film Is A Fascinating Ride". Times Now. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
23. "Lucky Baskhar review: Dulquer Salmaan is terrific in film on banking, share market". India Today. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
24. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (31 October 2024). "'Lucky Baskhar' movie review: An entertaining drama from Venky Atluri and Dulquer Salmaan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
25. "Top take on south Indian cinema news - EasternEye". 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.

External links

• Lucky Baskhar at IMDb