Shahid Kapoor’s Deva: Behind the flash, the real money lessons you need

The movie has more flash, more swagger than the dark Malayalam version where Prithviraj looks like he’s truly haunted by his loss of memory, and events there seem to be a tad more honest. Like all Haider and Udta Punjab fans, one expected Shahid Kapoor to add a little more ‘acting’ than just an awful scene where he eats food with his hands like he never attended the party for his friend Roshan De Silva in a fancy jacket.

Watch Mumbai Police on Disney Plus Hotstar to see the differences. If the former had a very unbelievable ‘gay men cannot be macho cops’ reasoning to kill a friend, the ‘loyalty to a baddie’ card works, even though it pushes the believability marker to its limit. But we get to hear one awesome line from Shahid: The uniform stands for honesty, and that’s why I don’t wear it.

What money lessons can we learn from a movie where like all Bollywood heroes, Shahid Kapoor too wants to don the uniform?

‘Credit is like an oxygen cylinder. Must be given to only those who need it.’

Roshan (played by Pavail Gulati) is an honest cop, and is almost killed by the gangster Mumbai Police has cornered in a raid that seems to be going all wrong. But Deva kills the baddie and lets Roshan take the credit for the encounter.

Roshan’s credit with his dad is poor. They are rich business people and Roshan chose to join the police. As Roshan admits, ‘In my family, we don’t do public service, we make the public serve us.’

Killing a big gangster and being awarded for it helps Roshan look good in his dad’s eyes… And as Deva tells Farhan, his superior officer (very convincingly played by Pravesh Rana), how does it matter who really killed the bad guy? Roshan needed the credit more than he did, and for a brother Deva can do anything.

Would you take this kind of risk with your line of credit to your friend or family?

Sometimes you may need a line of credit extended to you from your bank. But it has a limit and you can access it when you need and repay it over time. But there is an interest that is higher than what you may pay with other forms of loans, and using a line of credit will affect your credit rating as well.

Lines of credit are not meant for one time purchases but you can use them to finance projects that have unclear costs. Yes, using a line of credit is an instant and ongoing source of funds and yet, you have to be careful of the implications: If you wish to qualify for a home loan, your credit history might make it difficult for you in the future.

Plus there are very confusing interest rates charged and yes, banks tend to charge transaction fees every time you use the line of credit. So you have to be able to take all these into account. You may also fear risking losing your collateral (usually your home)to the financial institution.

There are better and smarter ways of borrowing money against your credit. There are protections that are in place, but most of us do not think when you see a line of credit as an easy way to access money when you need it.

Speaking of need, the Malayalam film (Mumbai Police) and its Telugu remake (Hunt) should have been enough because the audience today is watching everything on OTT platforms. It’s such a pity to lose a good actor to such a needless remake. And now the ‘six months later’ scene is like putting lipstick on a pig to appease fans who don’t want to see their bad cop hero look good. The audience reluctantly says, ‘Devaaa! Save us from such remakes!’

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.