Lucky Baskhar (stylised as LUCKY BASKHA₹) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language black comedy heist drama film written and directed by Venky Atluri. Produced by 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. The story follows a lower-middle-class man who 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. The film has music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography handled by Nimish Ravi and editing by Naveen Nooli.
Lucky Baskhar released worldwide on 31 October 2024, coinciding with Diwali, to critical acclaim. It emerged as the most successful film of Salman's career, grossing ₹111 crore at the box office. It also won the state Gaddar Award for Third Best Feature Film.
Contents
Plot
In 1992 Bombay, Baskhar Kumar is abruptly detained by CBI officials and taken to the Colaba branch of Magadha Bank. There, he faces interrogation regarding the alleged embezzlement of bank funds to facilitate securities fraud during his tenure. The true events of his ascent are revealed through a series of flashbacks, with Baskhar frequently breaking the fourth wall to provide cynical commentary to the audience.
Three years earlier, Baskhar works as a low-salaried cashier at Magadha Bank, one of the few private financial institutions left after nationalisation. To supplement his meager income, he charges uneducated clients small fees to write cheques and fill out bank forms. He lives in tight financial strain with his wife Sumathi—who estranged herself from her wealthy family to marry him and dreams of launching a home catering business—their young son Karthik, and his father Prahalad. Prahalad, a former chartered accountant, became paralyzed and chose voluntary muteness after being ruined by a business scam. Hounded by persistent creditors, Baskhar's desperation peaks when a major creditor seizes his scooter, and he is bypassed for a long-awaited promotion.
In a bid to turn his fortunes around, Baskhar steals ₹2 lakh from the bank's daily deposits. He hands the cash to Anthony, a local smuggler who needs capital to clear a seized shipment of illegally imported television sets at the port. Working with Samba, a bank peon, Baskhar successfully retrieves and resells the TVs, doubling the money. They quietly replace the stolen bank funds and pocket a massive profit. Over the following months, successive smuggling runs allow Baskhar to liquidate his debts and dramatically elevate his family's standard of living.
Anthony proposes one final, high-stakes shipment of three luxury foreign cars worth ₹10 lakh before retiring to join his son's hotel business in the United States. Though hesitant, Baskhar agrees to secure the cash. The plan hits a major snag when their prospective buyer is arrested, forcing Baskhar and Samba to transport the vehicles to a dealer in Goa over a weekend. By disguising the vehicles as government transport and hiring beggars and an exotic dancer to play politicians, they successfully bypass highway checkpoints. Baskhar returns the stolen money just in time, only to find that the bank's top managers have been arrested for independent fraudulent activities. While this increases regulatory scrutiny, the sudden management vacuum allows Baskhar to finally secure his promotion and a higher salary. He subsequently retires from smuggling, though Samba continues.
Production
Development
After the success of Vaathi in early 2023, it was reported that Venky Atluri had narrated a script to Dulquer Salmaan which impressed him and the project would be funded by S. Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya's Sithara Entertainment, Fortune Four Cinemas and Sithara Studios. The company made a public announcement on 15 May 2023, confirming the project, and also stating that filming would begin the following October and would be released in the Summer (June–August 2024). The film's official title, Lucky Bashkar, was announced on 28 July 2023.
The casting for the film was managed by Vicky Kisan Mourya.
Filming
Principal photography began with the first schedule on 4 October 2023 in Hyderabad.
Soundtrack
The music of the film was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. 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. It was initially scheduled to be released in the month of July 2024 but was postponed to release on 27 September 2024. Furthur, it was preponed to 7 September 2024 coinciding with Vinayaka Chavithi but was again postponed.
Home media
The film began streaming on Netflix from 28 November 2024 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages. Star Maa acquired Telecasting rights.
Reception
Critical response
Lucky Baskhar received critical acclaim from critics.
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." 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." 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."
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."
Box office
Lucky Baskhar became Dulquer's first film to reach the ₹100 crore (US$10 million) mark.