If you want to watch a film on middle class dreams and aspirations, then Lucky Baskhar (2024) is the one for you. Written and directed by Venky Atluri, this Telugu language entertainer stars Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary in the lead roles as Baskhar and Sumathi respectively. The other stars include Ayesha Khan, Hyper Aadi and P. Sai Kumar. The film is placed in the later 1980s and revolves around banking, stock market fluctuations and the Harshad Mehta scam of 1992. The Harshad Mehta scam was one of the events in the economic history of India that introduced new security laws and regulations in both banking and stock marketing in the country.
The Harshad Mehta scam was one of the events in the economic history of India that introduced new security laws and regulations in both banking and stock marketing in the country.
However, the film is purely fictional since Venky Atluri wove Baskhar placed in this scenario. The story is placed in 1980s Bombay, the cultural melting pot of many ethnicities and races within the country. Bakhar is a cashier in a private bank called Magatha where he dreams to work as an assistant manager. Even when he is talented and hardworking, a turn of luck removes him from his dream and places him in a new direction far removed from his usual paths, attracting uninvited troubles and challenges.
Middle class ambitions and ethos in Lucky Baskhar
The people belonging to the middleclass financial categorisation are usually deemed as powerful for they have the capability to rise and fall their standard of living quickly. The same is narrated in the film as well; Baskhar is just trying to make ends meet but could not, therefore, he takes the extreme steps to make it happen. Here, making ends meet is not confined to financial growth or stability, but just survival alone.
Baskhar holds to the values he or any middleclass person has learned, ‘be educated and work hard, success is yours.’ He understands the underpinnings of these and heads on to change his values and internal system to suit his surroundings, leading to victory.
The mentality of the society around the middleclass is shown well through many instances as in how they are treated in some big shops or business groups. Through financial stability, Baskhar enjoys the ability to purchase and give himself and his family all material comforts without ever wanting to limit or adjust the budget. The relentless strife and the self education to new ventures, like Sumathi store, is explored throughout Lucky Baskhar.
Family and personal values
For any middleclass person, family is an important element that wields power over them both in their professional and personal life. It is because, this is the only safe zone that keeps them moving in the right direction and gives them a sense of purpose. Here, personal values of hard work, morality and ambition are inculcated and education is reinforced as a tool to achieve these. The same goes for Baskhar and family as well. Like their CA father, Baskhar and his siblings are professionally qualified and are willing to risk anything for better living conditions. But all these are grounded on the simple fact that family happiness is everything for them.
Since he is brought up in this manner, Baskhar too is working hard for his family and his personal ambition or working principles can be altered and regulated as per this vision. But, when the risk is placed on the family, any middleclass person cannot bear it. Baskhar too undergoes changes in his principles and values when his social status increases. For then, he equates respect and love with money and expects the graph to grow higher every time he grows richer.
In between this, he also unconsciously grows a distaste his fellow people. Thereby, his personal values and social class are in continuous conflict until new events unfold.
Though Lucky Baskhar builds up suspense in the beginning, it miserably fails to keep it going in the forward motion until in the climax. At many turns, the film becomes very much predictable and slips through without attention. This can be a result of careless script writing, catering to heroism induced audience. And because of this, there is not much adverse situation perceivable as a threat to Baskhar or his family. Thus, most of the happenings is predictable and like the title suggets, Baskhar is always kept lucky.
Though Lucky Baskhar builds up suspense in the beginning, it miserably fails to keep it going in the forward motion until in the climax.
Most of the banking terms have been avoided to enhance comprehension and the terms are explained well. The costumes, though done remembering the styles of 1980s or 1990s, is never genuine for the financial situation of Baskhar’s family. Nimish Ravi’s cinematography has created a visual impact through the crowded street ways of Bombay and the grey middleclass interiors.
The direction of Venky Atluri and acting of Dulquer and Meenakshi is fair enough. In the overall view, the film cannot be hailed as an all-in-all entertainer or a must watch. But, if one wishes to sit back and enjoy a fairly relaxing watch with only highs and no lows, this is the one.
