She may have played the mother of a teenager in her film Neel Battey Sannata, but Swara Bhaskar is a classic Millennial in real life, who loves to spend more than save. While money is synonymous with a fulfillment of desires for Millennials, Bhaskar believes having money is “liberating”. Even though she has never lacked money in her entire life, she realizes that it is a privilege to be able to work and pursue her dreams. Discussing her journey into Bollywood and her career as an actor, Swara Bhaskar tells Outlook Money’s Malini Bhupta in an exclusive interview, that her struggle has never been financial. She says: “I told my parents that they had to view me as a long-term investment, which would yield them great returns over a period of time.” Ask her if the investment made by her parents in her career has paid off, and she simply says, “You have to ask them that.” But suffice to say that Bhaskar considers herself to be a capital-intensive project. Like all Millennials, her standard crib is: “I am always paying bills.”

Big Purchase
The first big purchase after becoming an actor was her BMW X1 and a home in Andheri in Mumbai. She recalls: “My father was horrified and shocked that I had bought the car.” Bhaskar has both a car loan and a home loan and she is confident of paying it off much ahead of schedule.

Big Money Mistake Not saving at all is her biggest mistake. Bhaskar says: “I spend all I earn. I earn a lot more than others but I also have to spend on things that normal people don’t have to, like a stylist, business manager, PR, and other such things.” But unlike most other Millennials, she doesn’t go broke at the end of the month, irrespective of how many films she does in a year.

Big Weakness Spending is a big weakness and Bhaskar simply doesn’t know when to stop. Be it buying make-up for herself or saris for her mother, Bhaskar is the classic shopaholic who loves shopping at airports. “I love spending on things. I can find a place to spend even in a village. I buy a lot of gifts for people and that is where I spend most of my money,”
she exclaims.

New Year Resolution Like most people, Bhaskar also has a resolution for the New Year—to save more in 2018 than she has done so far. She plans to spend 50 percent on needs, 30 percent on wants and save the remaining 20 percent.

Money Advise “Don’t copy me or my money habits,” is her appeal to other young people.

Next Big Purchase Bhaskar has a big budget lined up to renovate her home in Andheri and she plans to spend a packet on Moroccan tiles