Shraddha Kapoor: What are your hopes from the New Year?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: My hopes are happiness, contentment, satisfaction. I pray to God to keep me happy, satisfied, contented, healthy and successful. Wealth and success is temporary and transient. It may come and it may go. What I would like to ask and pray to God would be to give me contentment and happiness, not to envy others and treat others well, God give me the power to do that. This is what I tell God every year.
Shraddha Kapoor: It is amazing that you want these things for the New Year. For me, as long as I can remember, it has been a dream to be an actress?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: The dream for me was to become a large equity investor.
Shraddha Kapoor: Please tell me more about it.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Dreams are dreams. Humans should learn to accept defeat. In the Gita it is written that effort is ours, the result is his (God’s). So as long as I have made the right efforts and have not succeeded, it is okay. So I do not say that I am God and I am so powerful that I don’t see defeat or can be certain about results. The world is an ocean and I am a drop in it. I am not here permanently and so I don’t get setback mentally if something is denied to me or does not happen.
Shraddha Kapoor: Do you feel fearless?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: My dad used to say always fear God. Why should you fear time and also fear your dreams? Behave in a responsible manner and there is nothing to be afraid of!
So I fear only three things; God because he is almighty and we must bow before him. He can be Krishna, Shiva, Allah, Christ, Mahavir but I must say there is a stronger force.
The other things to fear are time and your own dreams. One should be very careful about what one is doing. Suppose someone is fighting. If one takes a knife and joins him, one should be aware that one could got killed.
Shraddha Kapoor: Absolutely I am also a big believer of karma. I believe what goes around, comes around. So I really try to make sure that I am not unintentionally hurting anybody.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: See one thing is important, the biggest duty God has given to us is to propagate mankind. If humans do not provide for mankind, then humans will be extinct and that is the greatest responsibility to have. The second thing is by our dreams, we set an example to the next generation. We have to be careful that people think there is no greater joy in life than our bundle of joy. Without it, the population declines.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: So you are from Jamnabai Narsee.
Shraddha Kapoor: Yes, I am.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: You have played handball, studied psychology and then you went to the US?
Shraddha Kapoor: I went to Boston. It used to be so cold! I remember when winter would kick in and the snow would be knee deep and when I got out of my dorm room, suddenly my foot would go down in deep snow. There would be days when it would not get bright outside. I missed home because Mumbai weather is warm and humid. But it was one of the most amazing experiences and it made me meet people from all over the world.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: It gave you exposure.
Shraddha Kapoor: I was staying in the dormitory and I was washing my own clothes and taking care of my own food. I was on a very strict allowance. That also took me out of my comfort zone. I was not treated like an actor’s daughter or coming from a film family or anything nobody knew nobody cared and it was really beautiful to have that experience.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: You come back to India and Bollywood.
Shraddha Kapoor: I came back after my first year and I missed my family so much. I asked my father if it was okay if I did not go back? My parents were very supportive when I said that I do not want to go back and I told them that I want to try to get into films. And they were very supportive about it.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: I have only one princess, daughters are princesses.
Shraddha Kapoor: How nice of you to say that. I feel I have been so empowered by my family and that it gives me that fuel to believe in my dreams and pursue it fearlessly.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: What are your hobbies?
Shraddha Kapoor: I love being in front of the camera.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Work is worship.
Shraddha Kapoor: Absolutely and aside from that, I really enjoy watching movies, I enjoy reading. I enjoy doodling as well although I feel my doodles are absolutely amateurish and my paintings as well but it is like therapy. I love travelling also. I feel nature is very soothing.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Which is the best place you have been to?
Shraddha Kapoor: Top of my head right now, I would say I love Ladakah.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Do you have lot of friends from school from Jamnabai Narsee?
Shraddha Kapoor: My parents decided to shift me to the American School of Bombay which is an IB Diploma in class 9. I am still in touch with my friends who were with me from nursery and my friends from the American school as well as a couple of friends from Boston.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: You have a busy social life?
Shraddha Kapoor: I am more of a homebody. I enjoy spending time with my family with home food.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: What does money meant to you?
Shraddha Kapoor: I also want to know what money means to you. I remember when I just started earning and I was in Boston, I worked at a Starbucks Coffee. I was very slow at making coffee and so I had to shift to the Sandwich shop tech store because I enjoyed that more and enjoyed food a lot. So I got my first paycheck from there and I told my dad that this is my first paycheck. He said that when he made his first Rs 10000, he counted every note and kept saying thank you thank you thank.
He told me that no matter how much money one earns, one should value Re 1, 50 paisa and Rs 10,000 exactly the same way. He said do not take it for granted. So I try to do that as much as I can. I feel money is something that we need to lead our lives. Money is something that we can share as well. Money is something that we must respect and value.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: It gives you independence.
Shraddha Kapoor:
Oh absolutely. It gives you so much independence. So, how much do you talk to your kids about investing and saving?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: We had children late, I am 62, my daughter is 18, my twin sons are 12. My feeling is that success is not happiness. A person is passionate about what he or she wants and a person does well if he or she has passion. My children are young. They should do what they would like to do. So, I have no dream that my son will be a better investor than me or that he should earn money only and do business only. If he wants to be a pianist, be a pianist.
My younger son is interested in the stock market. If he is interested, I train him. At the end of the day, if he is not interested, I leave him to himself. Their life is their life and we cannot achieve ourselves through them. We have to respect human rights, human choice. Giving birth to them does not mean that we have control over them. As long as they are integral, respectful citizens, and do things in a correct manner, I will be happy if they do anything. Their father has made a lot of wealth for them. Hopefully, my younger son is interested.
Shraddha Kapoor: I do not know anything about stocks. How can I as a beginner, start my journey? How do I know which stocks I should go for?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: It is my professional job. Suppose I tell you to buy A, B, C share and forget it. Then something changes and share goes up and then it goes down. Who is there to monitor it? Suppose you have Rs 100 and you want to buy a new house and you want interest on your regular income. Then a certain portion of money should be put in stocks. Stocks will give 15% to 20% return and also a tax advatage over a period of five-seven years.
Shraddha Kapoor: I am a new born investor and I have invested in this makeup brand called My Glamm. What is your opinion about the boom in the start-up world?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: I will make it into two parts. The most important area of any business is the demand for it. The amount ladies are spending now on makeup and grooming has gone through the roof. I think the opportunity is unlimited.
Now Nykaa is well set. There is always a place for other players. I cannot tell you anything until I know what size it is, what are the financials, what are your plans; but in general, I would say in urban, semi urban, rural areas, there is great demand and if beauty products are available at reasonable prices, there will be a lot of demand and cost of retailing is low there. So, a good idea.
Shraddha Kapoor: So a good idea . I am happy to know that and it feels great because as a new investor I feel there is a personal connection, beyond just being a brand ambassador for something.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: There is passion…
Shraddha Kapoor: There is passion and I also feel I am involved. They ask me what do you think about this product or what kind of product do you think we should make? What are your favourite products? So, I feel like it is an extension of who I am. So, I have my fingers and toes crossed and I hope that people also love using them.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: So you procure and market them?
Shraddha Kapoor: No, no we produce them ourselves. Darpan Sanghvi is heading it. He told me that he wanted me on board. Also, there is the energy of a person as well so if you even connect with someone as a person and you feel like your energy is matched I think that also takes your association to another level as well.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: So do you give a lot of time?
Shraddha Kapoor: Absolutely as much as I can because I feel it is my brand and I feel like.
It is so new for me to do something like this and it is my brand and it literally My Glamm the brand feels like my brand and to be that involved and to use their products, to be the face of it and to be an investor is a very special journey.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Can you cook?
Shraddha Kapoor: I have cooked a little bit. and I have cooked and I was not shooting for anything so I have cooked a few years ago I remember cooking. I can cook basic things.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: If you are on an island you can manage to cook?
Shraddha Kapoor: Then I will definitely manage to survive. I also feel cooking is such an art.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala:
You take my words out of my mouth. Markets and cooking cannot be taught. Those have to be loved.
Shraddha Kapoor: So, you have to keep at it!
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Absolutely.
