The actor Suniel Shetty reflected on his upbringing and talked about how they encouraged him to be economical. On Monday, Suniel reflected on his time in Bollywood on Linkedin. There was “occasional temptation to succumb to the allures of a flashy lifestyle,” he claimed. His middle-class ideals, he continued, “ensured that I looked at most financial decisions through a long-term lens.” The actor added that Mana Shetty, his wife, “had a similar mindset.”
In a long Linkedin post, Suniel wrote, “Today, I want to talk to you about my relationship with money. Growing up, my family had a very basic standard of living. We didn’t have a lot, just about enough. We definitely did not have the luxuries that we take for granted today. However, my parents, through the way they lived and worked, taught my sisters & I the importance of saving and building for the future. I think frugality was our default setting, and has remained so. Even after dad started to do better in life, there were no major changes in our lifestyle. He had already gone beyond his means to give us the best education he could afford at the time, so the only real change was we moved homes.”
He further wrote, “When I look back now, I realise how my parents were clear about their approach to money. They saw to it that whatever excess they had, went into uplifting their children’s lives through knowledge and experiences, growing the business and helping the community. When I entered the entertainment industry and started earning a substantial income, I was wired to treat money in a similar way. There was the occasional temptation to succumb to the allures of a flashy lifestyle, but my middle class values ensured that I looked at most money decisions from a long term lens.”
The note also stated, “It helped immensely that Mana too had a similar mindset. And together, we were fairly disciplined with how we went about our spending and investments. We did indulge now and then on a few luxuries, but to date our wisest investments have been our homes and education for the kids. Mana & I prioritise long-term stability over short-lived extravagance. Frugality continues to be my default setting, and that’s allowed us to create a pool of investments across a few different asset classes. Diversification is important, yet I know my boundaries. I do not pursue something I don’t fully understand.”
Suniel has made his OTT debut in the Amazon Mini TV series Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega. In the programme, he played a police officer. Rahul Dev, Esha Deol, Barkha Bisht, and Karanvir Sharma are also featured.
