Gulmohar on Disney+Hotstar: This movie offers four money lessons to everyone

Gulmohar is a very beautiful little film that brings Sharmila Tagore back to the screen as the matriarch of the Batra family who live in a bungalow called Gulmohur. Manoj Bajpayee (her son), Simran (her daughter-in-law), Suraj Sharma (the grandson), Amol Palekar (grand uncle to Manoj Bajpayee), Anurag Arora (Manoj Bajpayee’s cousin), Talat Aziz (family friend) and more. The Batras are all gathered at Gulmohar for the last party before packers and movers come in because the matriarch has sold the house.

The film is a story about relationships and it teaches us money lessons in ways that are not very obvious and in-your-face.

It’s important to make a proper will

The Batra family home has been sold, and the packers and movers have come in. Each time we move, it is a chance to give up on things that are put away and not been used. Considering many of us are hoarders by nature, it is not a surprise to see the Batras too come face to face with secrets buried in trunks put away in the store-room. Among the papers of the house is a will that creates havoc among the family members.

Manoj Bajpayee who is the beloved son of Sharmila Tagore and her deceased husband has been working in his father’s business (making it very successful) discovers that his father has not willed the house to him because of his awful beliefs.

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Because the will looks like it is handwritten (even though it has a signature of two witnesses) it is an unfair will to his family. Because it is too late to do anything about it, the will creates an opportunity for the vulture-like grand uncle, ready to contest the sale of the house. 

Amol Palekar is aware of the existence of this handwritten will and keeps asking Sharmila Tagore for it, creating a problem for the family where his son (Anurag Arora) and his family have a great relationship with the cousin (Manoj Bajpayee) and his family.

It is not important who you name in your will, and how you distribute your wealth. It is important that you leave behind a smooth legal transfer of your assets after your death.

Renting In The City Is Tough

Gulmohar bungalow has been sold by the grandmother who wants to retire in a house in Pondicherry, and Manoj Bajpyee is going to shift to a grand penthouse in Gurugram. 

The penthouse has enough room for his daughter and son and his daughter-in-law Divya. Suraj Sharma who plays Manoj Bajpayee’s son, does not want to live with his dad and mum, but rent an apartment.

He has to face the reality of striking out and living on their own. The bungalow and even his father’s wonderful new luxury penthouse run like a smooth, well-oiled machine. When renting, he has to face issues that he has taken for granted. 

Can he make do with an air-cooler instead of an air conditioner? There will be bills to be paid and even though he can work from home and save the rent of a co-working space, will they be able to survive on just his wife’s salary?

The real-estate agents are relentless in their chase and will bargain only for the seller because they work on commission. Does Suraj manage to get a good deal for the apartment he wants to rent. He thinks that it would have been easier were he single (not realising people prefer to rent to ‘families’ rather than ‘single’ folk) and hates the burden he is creating for his wife.

Dream Big With Your Startup Ideas

Suraj is passionate about the startup idea that he has, and he knows he has to work hard to balance the payment demands of his coders with the requests to the investors.

But when he takes the decision of moving out of his home and renting an apartment, he also has to plan for that expense. When one partner devoted their time and energy on a startup, his wife partners that effort by working to meet the everyday expenses.

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‘You don’t have to think that you are a man to start this on your own,’ his wife reminds him that asking your father to invest in your company will give him the joy of doing something different as well. Plus, she reminds him, think of how proud your dad will be when you are successful!

Read Before You Sign

The matriarch of the family confesses in anguish, ‘You know your dad used to ask me to sign this paper and that all the time. I would sign everything without reading. How could I ask to read?’

There is a huge lesson here for all of us. it’s not that we should not trust our spouses, but we must make it a habit to read all documents before we put our John Hancock on papers.

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.