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`Budgeting is important for survival'
I haven't really done much with my life yet. Just been a housewife and mother. I wanted to be of use somewhere. Not live my life in retrospect. I don't believe in emotional archaeology. And so I've gone into production with this serial, Hera Pheri, for STAR Plus. I'm involved with every department, right to overseeing Shekhar Suman's wig.
No, I haven't learnt film making techniques from my husband (Boney Kapoor) -- if I do that, I'll be bankrupt. For me, my economics has to be balanced on paper. I don't know if I am money savvy. I do get stuck in situations sometimes. But I'm learning all the time. And definitely, I depend a lot on my mom. She has always been there for me. She's my friend, basically my backbone, even financially, especially now.
If someone left me a million dollars? I'd give it to Boney Kapoor. Because I've always seen him have a lot of money tensions. I care very deeply for that man.
I think money is the root cause of all evil. It's neverhad a lot of importance for me. Not this kind of feeling that I won't be able to live without it. Yes, it does acquire a certain lifestyle for you. But I'm basically an army child, and our parents were very controlled about money while we were growing up. My mom started off with a factory that made aluminium caps for milk bottles, and we slowly grew from there. Since she was busy working, I was running the house from the time I was 11 years old, so I know all about budgets. And now I'm strict in turn with my children -- strict in terms of making them understand the importance of money. It is important for survival, but it doesn't govern my life.
In terms of material things, there is nothing I can't do without. For me, people are more important. If you learn to do without people, you can do without anything. Pain becomes a memory.
But still, I am a total spendthrift. I enjoy spending on myself, good clothes, accessories... And since I'm considered to be a well-turned out woman, it's not hard to figure outwhere all the money goes. And I enjoy buying things for my children. I take them abroad once a year and there are no budgets then.
My most extravagant deed to date? Maybe tomorrow. Haven't done it yet.If you take care of money today, it will take care of you tomorrow. It's a very powerful evil. A lot of good can come out of it of course, but it's a powerful weapon.
If there were no money in this world, we would still be living, maybe on the barter system. It's not that not having it will wipe out most of the ills. There'll just be trade, and more trade. We human beings live in this system -I gave you this, what did you give me? If I had to live my life again, there'd be no changes. Parents, friends, children, husband, same everything. But maybe I'd change the people around my husband.
As told to Punam Mohandas
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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