Why I made a fun money-show, wearing red lipstick

After reading a book about Mumbai some years ago, I moved here about five years ago finding it fascinating combination of what I thought of New York and Hollywood – it’s India’s finance capital, it’s home to the world’s largest film industry and it’s a melting pot of migrants from all over India. But the 'maximum city' has come to mean something more personal to me. Let me explain.

Finance doesn’t have to be boring

Anytime I have met non-finance people in Mumbai, I can see the face they make when I tell them I work in finance. They change the topic faster than the heroines dancing around the trees in Bollywood movies, usually after some comment about how they don’t have a head for numbers. They certainly don’t watch business channels. But they insist on giving me unsolicited advice to pitch to the business channels when I tell them I am thinking of making a TV show on money. Of course, that would defeat my purpose of providing investor education to those who need it, but apparently it's rude to point that out to them. However, they have a point - I have an uphill task of convincing general entertainment or lifestyle channels of hosting a show about something that everybody needs, but no one enjoys watching.

I noticed that Indians like drama and humour, apart from Bollywood and cricket of course. While it would be cool to combine Mumbai's two landmarks by making a full-length drama movie about finance (perhaps about the various stock market scams on the lines of The Big Short), I thought it would be easier to start with humour. So I spent some time trying to convince a bunch of young writers, and even a well-known comedian to help me come up with a show. Everyone told me humour and finance just don't go together.

Luckily, my nomination as one of ten global LinkedIn Top Voices in Money & Finance helped my credibility as a writer. A few months earlier, I had been introduced to a fintech entrepreneur at a local coffee shop (one of the nicer perks of living in the hip suburb of Bandra). We met again and this time, I was able to convince him on my crazy idea of combining finance and humour.

I partnered with BigDecisions (a News Corp company) and a production house led by young women, and we came up with ‘Money Talks With Hansi’. It’s a light-hearted talk-show format, with a talking coin-head, full of puns and references to pop culture. The web series garnered more than a million views. From what I can tell, that's more than other similar finance shows in India. Importantly, I got a few calls from within the finance industry who loved the use of humour. And what tickled me the most - I had a conversation with a leading entertainment provider about making a stand-up comedy show about money.

Had I started a movement?

There are some women in finance

In contrast to most finance shows on Indian business channels where an attractive female anchor asks questions of middle-aged male finance experts (with the exception of the Vivek Law/Monika Halan show on Bloomberg), MTWH shows Sikka, a coin-headed guy i.e. money personified, and I as co-hosts. Sikka is the over-qualified, jargon-spouting finance expert who knows all the theories but behaves just like a layman with his own finances. I play a version of myself as the distance-educated but practically qualified, with real-life experience who debunks theories and has the financial independence as proof of her methods.

Hopefully, the audience picks up on the message that women can be finance experts too. I admit there are still very women in finance – I am typically one of a handful showing up at industry conferences, and usually the only one on the stage. Yes, I know there are some high profile women bankers, but the fact that we can count them on our fingers means they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The point is women can be finance experts and finance experts can be women.

It’s possible to have brains while wearing red lipstick

I hope the audience also picks up on another message that was bit more personal for me. Before I tell people that I work in finance, their guess about my industry is usually entertainment or fashion. Odd, given Mumbai is both the finance and entertainment capital. It must be because I don’t match their impression of a typical finance person in grey pantsuits and/or I do match their impression of a typical entertainment or fashion professional.

I have to admit I have taken to colourful dresses, high heels and red lipstick more recently, but that's more to do with being able to chauffeur-driven in an Uber than having to take public transport in Sydney and Singapore. Red lipstick doesn’t make me forget my finance qualifications or experience, nor does it imply that I am available or promiscuous, as I have been warned that I am apparently signalling. Not only have I been asked by senior industry colleagues if I am giving up my finance career for one on TV soaps, I have received seemingly congratulatory messages on the success of the web-series at midnight. My red lipstick made me experience the misogynistic side to maximum city.

I understand stereotypes are like mental shortcuts helping us make quicker decisions. I also understand there is research to show that our clothes can actually impact how we work. But I think it’s time we evolve and exercise our brains a bit.

Let me spell it out – it is possible to for a women to wear high heels and red lipstick while also being a finance expert giving practical advice to those who want it. The rest can continue watching boring business channels with their male talking heads claiming to know where the market will be next week.

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Women in finance in India are welcome to join my LinkedIn group 'Women in Finance (India)' to network, share and learn from each other.

Women who want to learn about handling and investing their money are welcome to follow @themoneyhans on any social media or check out my site TheMoneyHans.com - it doesn't ask for email addresses or serve any ads.

Please share with such women, and anybody else who doesn't watch business channels :)