From achievers to leaders to the glamourous, in this web series, Outlook Money brings you the views on money matters from some of India’s most influential. The first month of this year is approaching its end. Several of the New Year’s resolutions made this year may have been already broken. But who says you need to wait for planetary revolution to make new decisions that can make tomorrow slightly better than today? Inspiration can come from anyone at anytime. These individuals, each a leader in their respective field, talks about their life, both financial and personal, and lets us know what it takes to make it big in this beautifully scary world. We hope their wisdom empowers you to know how to better secure your financial future.
Life is about much more than money
For 7 years, Hansal Mehta was the man behind Zee TV’s popular cooking show ‘Khaana Khazaana’. He talks and writes extensively about food and his love for food is so much so that he has a separate section in his blog where he writes about his passion for food and shares his recipes. However, Hansal Mehta’s claim to fame is that he is a National Award winning director. With films like Shahid and Aligarh to his credit, he is much revered amongst his fraternity and critics.
His interest in film making started at a video rental facility that he worked for in Australia and Fiji where he was supposed to network and automate their outlets. He went abroad to find a career and what he discovered was his love for cinema. Or as he would rather put it – films found him. “It has been over 23 years and I don’t feel I’ve worked a single day all these years – that’s the joy of following your heart,” he says.
Recalling an incident that has had a lasting impression in his life, he talks about his meeting with poet/lyricist, Gulzar.” I was late for a meeting with Gulzar saab for the promos of his film ‘Maachis’. He did not meet me and refused to speak to me for a few days! He is very disciplined. I learnt that passion without rigour and discipline can be a wasted pursuit.”
Hansal believes that one should never stop learning. Every script, every film, every meeting, he approaches with the keenness of a student and the enthusiasm of a fresher. “I've failed many times in my career - more than I've succeeded! Failure has kept me grounded and allowed me to view success objectively and simply as a means to propel the journey forward,” he says. He believes that being aware of the world around him keeps him relevant. His wife, his children, his colleagues, he always try to learn from them. “I learn a lot from new filmmakers and actors- they being in a fresh approach and a world view that is not tainted with cynicism,” he says.
Hansal is has strong opinions when it comes to money. To say the least, he thinks money is overrated.” If money means accepting monotony, boredom and routine for the sake of security then it is a waste of life. I derive security from happiness, not money. Money is expendable, I can survive without it. I refuse to survive without happiness,” he says.
He considers his family and friends as his most prized procession. “I do not own homes, properties, cars or jewellery. They mean nothing to me unless gifting them makes a loved one happy! I was gifted a Rolex watch many years ago by Sanjay Gupta. It remains my most expensive possession,” he says.
