Ulajh: Money lessons from Jahnvi Kapoor’s spy thriller

Suhana Bhatia, a young IFS officer proves her mettle and is promoted to the post of deputy High Commissioner to London. Her father, also a celebrated senior IFS officer, is sceptical of her rapid promotion, but encourages her to give it all. In London, too, she faces accusations of ‘Nepotism’ by her colleagues. She falls headlong into an affair with a smooth talking man. How she tackles her hostile workplace and her involvement with spying is the rest of the film

What money lessons can Jahnvi Kapoor’s spy thriller teach us besides making us facepalm several times about the most overused India-Pakistan terrorism tale?

Lesson One: Keep Your Head Firmly On

No matter how young you are, how do you forget your place in the hierarchy at your workplace? Have you not seen enough shows about thoughtless sexual encounters with strangers resulting in trouble? You sit in the theatre cringing at the most obvious trope of them all. Especially because you realise that she is too green at the gills and not equipped to handle any backlash of her behaviour.

Let’s say you have invested your money in Mutual Funds and your money manager is helping your money grow. If you are attracted by an investment scheme like Suhana is attracted to Nakul Bhatia/Sharma (played rather well by Gulshan Devaiah), then pause before you get seduced. Educate yourself about the new offering and all its risks. Schemes that offer you champagne and roses might have hidden costs that will make you regret your choice.

Lesson Two: Ask For Help and You Will Be Saved

Salim, the driver assigned to Suhana gives her good advice: Ask for help, and people will help you. But Suhana, embroiled in a spying ring, learns quickly that she does not know who to trust and whom to go to for help.

There are people who betray her and those who die because she has been blackmailed into giving information. But you are smarter than that, dear investor. You won’t ever find yourself in a situation where your work is compromised because you inadvertently helped in inside trading or some such illegal activity. You should know that your money manager can help you get out of foolish investments you made because your best friend or family member persuaded you to invest in something… So build that trust so you will find someone like Sebin Josephkutty (Roshan Mathew in a role that should have been bigger!) who will help you.

The film has India-Pakistan trope where an implausible peace offering shows up. Of course there is a terrorism plot involving too many odd conspirators joining hands. Jahnvi Kapoor as Suhana Bhatia who gets involved in spying has been given no skills at all that equip her to fight. So the movie feels like a let down in many ways. Perhaps we could all learn one more lesson: Don’t be swayed by the credentials of the production house. You could be in for a disappointment.