RAID 2: Ajay Devgn vs the system – Unpacking the money lessons hidden in the action

Ajay Devgn’s Amay Patnaik gave us the hero who, with his team of income tax officers, raided a powerful politician who had stashed all his ‘kala dhan’ in the form of gold coins and cash in the walls of his home. Saurabh Shukla played the politician who was sent to jail for all that undocumented, unaccounted treasure. That was five years ago. The film begins with a raid at a palace where the king is seen cavorting in a pool with nubile young things. The king greets the officers with a display of power – his soldiers firing guns and cannons in the air, jeers them because they seem to be afraid. At the same time, he has his goons load all the money and gold into trucks and move them away from the back door. Of course Ajay Devgn meets the trucks on the road and as the officers who flee gunfire at the palace join him, the raid is completed.

But then we see honest guy Patnaik (well named, because it translates to ‘hero’) ask the king’s goon for a bribe, then get transferred to a town called Bhoj (if we look at the story behind the name, it will take us to the times of a scholar king Raja Bhoj who ruled with benevolence). Bhoj of today has but one great yet humble man whose devotion to his mother and good deeds have benefitted all poor folk. He has so much public support his mere request can topple the government. This man clad in white is Dada Bhai (played rather well by Riteish Deshmukh). How does he handle the tax man’s scrutiny? Is he as ‘clean and white’ as he shows? Is Patnaik’s tainted record real? What money lessons can this movie teach us?

Lesson one: Sona kahan hai?

Bollywood villains have been obsessed with amassing gold for years. This time the villain – who promises the honest hero – that things are hidden in plain sight has used real gold bathroom fittings at his newly opened luxury hotel, buried it in the farm (leaving the sugarcane unharvested is a red flag) or plain hidden it in the garage at a remote farmhouse! Discovering all that hidden gold is a predictable yet fun part of the movie.

Dada Bhai has always been one step ahead of the Income tax officer. That’s why the tax guys don’t find anything in the records room (it’s converted to a library), no suitcases and trunks filled with cash (it’s buried in the farm), no gold (the gigantic hand sculpture that is supposedly gold is replaced overnight by a brass one!)

In India have been advised to ‘invest in gold’ and to ‘buy gold for weddings for a rainy day in the future’. In the days where banks offer loans, have you heard of anyone who has actually relinquished the family gold in emergencies?

The Indian Government allows you to buy all the gold and keep as much cash at home if it is accounted for and taxes are paid for them. But hiding cash and not paying taxes does not work. You will soon have an Amay Patnaik in real life knocking at your door.

Investing in government bonds and various gold schemes help lower taxes. Ask your personal finance manager to help you choose the tax savings plan best suited for you.

Lesson two: What is your tax strategy?

There’s a huge difference between tax saving and tax avoiding. In the movie, the corrupt king as well as the politician are both not paying taxes to the government. But the taxman does show up and despite help from his many goons, despite their violence against the few cops sent to protect the IT officers carrying out the raid, the baddies do get caught.

Use tax deductions aggressively to lower your taxes. The rich manage to get away because they have their accountants prepare their tax papers in a way that favours them. Invest in retirement plans that the government favours lowering your taxes. A favourite of the richest men: show you had a low income year – so you can move out of the higher tax bracket into a lower rung. If your tax advisor tells you that looking at taxation is a long term game instead of playing for short term gain, listen to them.

Amay Patnaik shows us that you have to pretend to be bad to do good. When his ‘I accept bribe’ act does not go well with the villain, then he has to introduce an overly pliable and amenable to bribes colleague (brilliantly played by Amit Siyal). The addition of a seemingly corrupt lawyer (Yashpal Sharma) and the secret weapon in the form of the politician’s man (Brijendra Kala) all come in handy. The finding of plastic bags filled with cash floating in water storage tanks remind you of a news article that was in the newspapers (the strict code during elections does have this effect on politicians who do not wish to disclose donations) and the movie theatre does erupt with claps. But applause for clever lines is scattered and the double deadpan act of both the hero and the villain gets to be too much after a while. The twists and the turns of this entertainer can be watched on Netflix in a while. So until then save multiplex popcorn and ticket money and invest the rest wisely.

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.