Awwww, Baskhar, that lovable scamp! I mean, sure he’s committing white collar crimes … but they’re the good kind of crimes, right? The kind where his creditors get paid and the bank doesn’t realize the money is gone and Baskhar gets a cool new car. I mean, who is a victim here? Are embezzlement and money laundering really crimes if nobody gets hurt?
Yes. Yes, they are.
Welcome to the world of Baskhar (Dulquer Salmaan), a bank employee who can’t get a break. We like Baskhar. He seems like a good guy; he has wife and son and he’s smart and works hard. Despite holding down steady employment, he owes everybody in town and he can’t ever turn a profit. There has to be a story there, no? I mean, if you made “Employee of the Year” for three straight years at a bank and you still had to borrow money to feed your family, wouldn’t somebody wonder what was up? “Does he have a gambling problem?” “Does he spend all his free time on booze and hookers?”
We know neither of these things is true and just accept that Baskhar is … unlucky.
That’s going to change, but not before a cringe-worthy scene in which Baskhar is overlooked for promotion. In the confrontation moment, Baskhar starts with tiger-like determination, accusing his boss of “Bengali favoritism” … and is eventually reduced to tears and pleading to keep his current job at reduced pay. Oh, maybe this is how he has no money; they simply offered a counter-argument of “no money” and Baskhar felt too spineless to correct them.
So, what’s an unrewarded, dead-end employee to do but hop on board a scam train, using bank rupees for the temporary collateral? All of this is very Ocean’s Eleven in style, btw. So we know that while his actions are illegal, they’re quite cool. And, well, he’s Lucky Baskhar, so he’s gonna come out OK.
Lucky Baskhar is told in two parts, the first in which Baskhar goes from struggling dad/husband to 
bank manager while “borrowing” bank cash to dig himself out of holes and the second in which Baskhar hops on board using illegal tips and then laundering his winnings. It is unclear to me how Baskhar isn’t called on his crimes. There are many … and he participates willingly … and profits from them, no question. But we’re good with this because, apparently, Baskhar is a decent guy while the other guys are real criminals.
This film makes me uneasier every time I think about it. There I was with everybody else in the theater cheering on Baskhar, but when I reflect upon it, I wonder why I did. Being poor and abused make crimes understandable … but they’re still crimes. I suppose we allow some leeway for people whom life has cheated. However, once he got to a certain level of sustainability, the crimes have to stop, don’t they? That wasn’t the film I saw.
There once was a man called Baskhar
An employee who couldn’t keep a dinar
So he embezzled some cash
And avoided the lash
Because illegalities made him a star
Not Rated, 170 Minutes
Director: Venky Atluri
Writer: Venky Atluri
Genre: The good kind of money laundering
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who need a hero more than they need justice
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Ummmm … he’s a criminal
