The premise of Lucky Baskhar is an engaging one because the makers give a fair share of the life of its protagonist while tactfully allowing you space to ponder on what if you found yourself in a similar situation. And because you are witness to the bond that Baskhar shares with his family, you don’t mind him voluntarily being embroiled in a harmless financial scam involving a couple of other folks. The events leading up to this new reality of his is simple – Baskhar is literally humiliated in front of his street by a moneylender who not only snitches his scooter but also tears his pocket, a physical symbol of the financial status of Baskhar who let alone the money, doesn’t even own a pocket. Later in the day, the promotion that he had his eyes on is conveniently transferred to another person, even while being humiliated in front of his colleagues following a confrontation. It is clear that Baskhar has chosen his new fate, and he may never look back.

One of the interesting facets of the writing lies in its unpredictability with respect to the actions of the protagonist. There are several instances where you indulge yourself in the narrative with respect to the ‘harmless’ scams of Baskhar which in the context of the drama seem petty and trivial. These scams might be hardly worth your attention, but these lay a foundation for something bigger that automatically adds to the character arc of the protagonist. Each time you might feel that he is about to be caught while the drama is fast-forwarded to a later event, only for a quick flashback to reveal a completely different picture. This kind of narrative, although not quite novel was an exciting one because the writers were always a couple of steps ahead of the viewers.

In all of the budding chaos in the life of Baskhar, there are moments of groundedness that comes in the form of his family comprising of his son and his wife (and later on his father). In a moving scene, you see Baskhar’s son being thankful of him and his mother to throw him a birthday party for the first time, even as he was often bullied by his friends for ‘eating free cake’ at other’s parties. Also, in a scene you see Baskhar’s wife keeping a tab on his finances by questioning him on how his behavior has slowly started to change. These incidents although mostly used as fillers are important in the context of the drama for two things – to ground the ambitions of Baskhar while offering a conflict of wanting to aim higher, something that paves way for a bigger scam in store.

I also enjoyed the era of the 90s where the drama is set in because it coincided with the Harshad Mehta Scam (remember Scam 1992?). Only thing being that Harshad Mehta is referenced as Harsha Mehra, even as the character finds himself in the tale with only the focus being on a more specific scam centered around Baskhar. This, while the twists and turns in the narrative that often keep you on your toes with greed being a virtue of sorts. There is a definitely smugness that you notice in the character of Baskhar while being true to his philosophy that people inquire only about the rich. Yet, the thing that delightfully separates Lucky Baskhar from some of the other dramas on financial scams is its consistent treatment that doesn’t necessarily offer a tapering character arc with respect to the downfall of the protagonist. This isn’t a film about morality anyway, so even the thought of a transformation for the better acts as an arc for redemption that goes a long way. The case in point being the delightfully playful final act that absolutely hits home although, it may not be from a moralalistic standpoint. The screenplay is really well written and a breath of fresh air in terms of the treatment of the protagonist who is more grounded rather than larger than life with a skewed board of morality.