Money Lessons: Why re-watching old favourites in theatres is a smart investment

You shout out all the Gabbar Singh dialogues, you know Veeru is going to be drunk atop the village water tank, you hold your best friend’s hand as Jai and Veeru celebrate the song of friendship.

You travel in the local train after having watched Khosla Ka Ghosla, uncaring of the strange stares from the people next to you because you are grinning to yourself.

You wear white to watch Taal… You cry silently in the theatre filled with Guru Dutt fans, each re-living different hurts when Geeta Dutt’s voice sings ‘Wakt ne kiya kya haseen sitam…’

When new films don’t pull in the crowds to the theatres, and OTT platforms suffer a similar fate, filmmakers and theatre-wallahs are minting money by re-releasing old favourites. And yes, as you don’t think twice before springing a thousand bucks or more for popcorn and coffee, there are valuable money lessons to be learnt from this experience.

Investing vs. Speculation

If you are booking your tickets on a Thursday evening for a brand new Friday release, hoping to get good seats at the theatre closest to you because you loved the songs, the trailer and you are going to watch your favourite star in the film? Then you are among the optimists, the hopefuls who believe every movie might be worth your time and your money.

Some of you will wait for the weekend, word of mouth reviews, go online to check what your ‘community’ is saying about it, wonder if it is worth the effort to watch it with the crowds or wait for the film to show up on an OTT platform in eight weeks.

Both are valid financial attitudes to hold. Going to a brand new movie on the first day because you trust no one else’s opinion but your own is like speculating with your money. Your risk profile shows that you are in the investment game for high rewards because you are taking a bigger risk with investing your hard earned money in something that has not proven to be a bestseller.

If you are risk averse, then you will wait out for the market to assess the stock that you eye, and then invest in it. You may pay more (as you do when you watch movies over the weekend), but you are rewarded more.

‘Old is Gold’ works for your money too!

The National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai shows restored cinema classics every Saturday. You watch Shammi Kapoor’s ‘Teesri Manzil’ and sing along with all your favourites, but are secretly appalled at Asha Parekh denigrating a large person calling him ‘Ei Mote!’ again and again…

Young people in the audience of Sholay wonder why the movie is so long even as the rest of the theatre chants every dialogue loudly.

I had to fight my way into a screening of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and was grateful to watch it from the front row, coming home with a crick in my neck, but knowing it was worth the experience.

You too have invested your money in value stocks. Stocks that were once underestimated by the market, but have grown substantially over the years. You are like Warren Buffet, Benjamin Graham and Charlie Munger! They saw the potential of certain stocks and their patience and trust paid off.

That’s why movie theatres are re-releasing old movies because they know that the crowds will be back, for caramel and cheese coated nostalgia, for introducing a new generation to old hits and yes, to bring back small joys in a world gone crazy. So go on, look out for that listing of your old favourite film and have a great fun filled weekend. You deserve it!

Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.