How Baskhar Kumar escapes to the USA?

Happy BasharVenky Atluri’s 2024 Telugu-language crime drama is more than just a gripping rags-to-riches story. The film skillfully weaves together themes of ambition, morality and redemption against the backdrop of financial fraud. Set in late 1980s and early 1990s Mumbai, the narrative captures the rise and fall (and rise) of Baskhar, a lower-middle-class banker who exploits the loopholes of an unsupervised financial system to escape poverty. Here you will find everything you need to know about the history of Happy Basharits ending, surprises, twists and more.

Dulquer Salmaan, who has given several convincing performances, essays the title role of Baskhar Kumar. Baskhar Kumar, the protagonist, begins as a middle-class man burdened by circumstances but eventually transforms into a shrewd player in the financial world, driven by ambition and later tempered by guilt and a desire to protect his family.

What happens in Happy Bashar?

The story, told through a fourth-wall-breaking framing device, begins in Mumbai in 1992 when Baskhar, an assistant general manager (AGM) of Magadha Bank’s Mumbai branch, is interrogated by the CBI. As the investigation unfolds, the audience is transported into Baskhar’s past, revealing his motivations and the circumstances that drove him into the murky world of financial fraud. Raised in a middle-class household, Baskhar was the eldest son of an accountant who was betrayed by his own friends. This setback led to the family’s bankruptcy. The burning desire in Baskhar was to get out of the dirt and become rich again. He now lives with his wife, son, father, sister and brother and longs for wealth and power, far from the humble life he leads.

When his colleague was promoted instead of him at Magadha Bank, Baskhar, a young cashier, had his career goals thwarted. Angry and disillusioned, Baskhar senses an opportunity when Antony, an electronics smuggler, asks him for a loan to be paid as a bribe for the release of smuggled goods from customs.

Initially hesitant, Baskhar eventually agreed to steal the money from the bank vault, circumventing the rules with his position. He made sure the stolen money was returned after Antony’s business had turned a profit – after he took his share, of course. This operation continued until Antony went to the United States, but it set a precedent for Bashar’s descent into major financial crimes.

The promotion and growing greed

Bashar’s illegal activities went unnoticed and he was promoted after three senior bank officials were fired for corruption. This new position brought him closer to influential clients, including Harsha Mehra (clearly a deputy of Harshad Mehta), a stock market manipulator. Harsha’s representative Suraj introduced Baskharto to the world of forged bank receipts – a tactic used to manipulate funds and make huge stock market profits.

Baskhar was initially a reluctant participant, but quickly realized the potential to amass wealth. He demanded a share of the winnings and used the illegal money to finance other schemes, including manipulating lottery results to launder black money. Bashar’s greed and cunning grew, but so did the risks.

What happens at the end of? Happy Bashar?

Everything started going downhill when the manager of Baskhar and Katari Bank found out the true extent of the crime and discovered how many fake bank receipts were in circulation. This posed a great danger to the entire Indian economy and stock market. Due to excessive exposure to such news, the bank manager died of a stroke, which shook Baskhar to the core. This moment marked a turning point in his life.

Baskhar then decided to get out of the scam. He refused to share any more fictitious bank receipts and tried to expose corruption in his bank by informing the RBI. Angered, his superiors, who were also involved in the scam, plotted against Baskhar and conducted a CBI raid to get him to back down.

Baskhar sensed his superiors’ moves and devised a careful escape plan. Before the scam could completely fail, he emptied his bank accounts, closed them, and fled to the United States with his family. Using the money he laundered, Baskhar secured an American visa by investing in a hotel, which also expedited his green card process. This allowed him to build a new life in Boston without extradition Happy Bashar End.

In Boston, Baskhar became a thriving hotelier. Guilt over his misdeeds and the need to save his family from disgrace kept him on the right path. His wife Sumathi (Meenaakshi Chaudhary) must have known that their sudden move was due to Baskhar’s questionable activities, but she believed in his intentions to protect the family. Baskhar’s new wealth and stability were symbolized by the American Express credit cards he secured for himself and his wife, demonstrating his determination to rebuild his life ethically.

The film’s story, if you couldn’t already tell, draws heavily from real-life financial scandals, particularly the 1992 Harshad Mehta securities fraud that inspired the acclaimed series Fraud 1992.

Regard Happy Bashar on Netflix here.

(Hero and featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)