Call Me Bae: From luxury to lessons—What Bella’s journey reveals about financial wisdom

‘I was born with a golden spoon,’ Bella says, as she posts selfies with her designer handbags. ‘Naming your handbags should be a thing,’ she tells her Gram-Fam.

No matter how many morning affirmations Bella or Bae recites, she knows she is lonely and that her marriage to Agastya Chowdhary was a marriage designed to bring the two business families together. And when she’s found kissing the trainer, she is cut off from the family, access to the homes, social connections et al because she refuses to ‘stay out of sight for three months and be back after the publicity dies.

What she does with her life after being thrown out and how she uses her many ‘three month’ courses and her life skills she never knew she had to survive in the big city is the rest of the show. What money lessons could we learn from Bae and her life?

It’s the year of collabs

At first glance the show seemed to be like a desi version of Emily In Paris and The Devil Wears Prada, but oh no! The writing leaves the Emily In Paris way behind, and of course we cannot compare anything with Meryl Streep in it simply because she is incomparable. But to watch a show about social media that is well written is magical in itself. A huge money lesson is also written in the show: It’s time to collaborate with people.

Bae might seem ditzy in the life she leads, but she does not judge anyone. You too, dear investor should collaborate with people who will help you figure out how to make your money work harder for you. Work with your money manager to find how to expand your portfolio.

No matter what, never break the ‘Behen Code’

Bae makes friends easily, and with Saira and Tamarrah she explains a very important thing we all need in our lives: loyalty.

Bae (played wonderfully by Ananya Pandey) first explains to Saira (played very well by Muskaan Jafferi) that one should live our lives by a code that’s more powerful than the bro-code and the two then include Tamarrah (played equally well by Niharika Lyra Dutt) into the group. Of course Prince (Varun Sood in a charming role of a Gym Trainer with surprising skills) and Neel (Gurfateh Pirzada as Bae’s romantic interest) get drawn into the ‘girl gang’.

In our money life, it is expected that we live by a similar code of loyalty. We do the right thing at all times. We pay to those we owe and lead our lives within ethics. And you stick with your team through thick and thin!

Satyajit Sen says, ‘Truth is not news!’

In the show, Vir Das plays a star journalist Satyajit Sen who exposes secrets of the interviewees in a prime time show. Bae hates how he humiliates people in his show and demeans people around him in real life. When Satyajit is actually cornered by his own unethical involvement, what does he do? Can Bae’s reliance on social media help her?

As an investor, you too depend on the information you receive to make your money grow. You too can choose to access information illegally and make lots of money. Insider trading is illegal, but there are people in places of power who have access to the information who find loopholes and make money. And then there are people like Bae when it comes to making money work harder. Bae knows how social media works, and the importance of hashtags when creating a post on the Gram. You too can become an expert in your chosen field and once you understand, let’s say, how a particular mutual fund operates, then you will invest in it. Acting on information received is good, but getting the information in the right way is better.

Ghar se Bae-ghar

In the very first episode, Bae finds herself out of her marital home, shunned from her family and friends (they are all rich, connected and yes, dependent on Bae’s family socially and business wise). Her spirit is indomitable, though. She takes a sad selfie and puts in a hashtag ‘Ghar se Bae-ghar’ (a clever word play on being homeless) outside the police station. It is the kindness of strangers that helps her get to the airport and a flight to Mumbai… There is a huge life lesson of kindness that you will love, but the money lesson here is important.

Bae spends all her life going from ‘Summers in London and Winters in the Bahamas’ and ‘have never cared for flats, whether shoes or in real estate’. But her credit cards belong to her family. She is lucky to have designer bags and clothes and shoes.

But you dear investor, must make a plan B in life. With the value of money often at the receiving end of politics and climate and more, you must have a stash separately to save you on a rainy day. Something that is in your name and that will come in handy when everything else fails.

I am happy that the Indian OTT platforms are showcasing movies and series with female leads. This show might seem fun and frothy and filled with colour, but it’s a breeze to watch and worth inviting your besties over to share irrepressible Bae’s wonderful life. And yes, I found myself agreeing with Bae who wonders: How come I have never seen a real farmer in the city’s posh ‘Farmers Market’!

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.