Mutual Funds Vs Thunivu

Traditionally, festivals are all about rituals accompanied by a delicious feast. For movie lovers, festivals are also about the awaited new movie release.

This Pongal, the South Indian film industry saw a series of movies battling it out at the box office. In Tamil Nadu, Ajith’s latest movie Thunivu was one of the front-runners. 

Hero Ajith’s action scenes stole everyone’s hearts, but that wasn’t the only highlight of the movie. The portrayal of Mutual Funds was a key takeaway for the audience.

Popularly referred to as a money-heist inspiration, Thunivu is now also streaming on Netflix in 5 different languages – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. 

Thunvivu Spoilers Ahead!

The film opens with a gang making a detailed plan to rob ₹500 cores from a big bank in Chennai. 

The rest of the movie is a classic bank robbery themed, that has the audience on the edge of their seats. Ajith’s ‘anti-hero’ role confuses the audience whether he is a good or a bad guy. It is soon revealed that by fooling the robber’s gang, he was pulling off his own secret robbery within the bank. 

Ajith talks about the bank’s elaborate scheme that’s in reality a scam to make more money. Like a typical hero, he saves the day and brings down the real villain (bank owner) who lures customers to invest in illegal companies. 

In the climax, Ajith discloses a scam worth ₹25,000 crores. He warns the audience to not trust Mutual Funds and the banking world. 

Did Thunivu make money at the box office?

Thunivu is said to have made ₹50 crores (worldwide) on the first day of release. In total, the film made an estimated ₹185–250 crores. 

The movie received mixed reviews from both, the audience and critics. Though it was a commercial success in every way, an important question arises – At what cost?

Did the audience take the negative portrayal of mutual funds and banks seriously? 

What is the Public Opinion on Thunivu? 

The following are excerpts of Twitter posts by the audience:

#Thunivu has delivered wrong facts about mutual funds which are misleading many fans here. Why H.Vinoth?

– Tweeted by @THM_OFF

I must say a very uninformed portrayal of Mutual funds in #Thunivu

– Tweeted by @varunm2112

It’s important to note that the above comments were shared by the educated section of the audience who were aware of Mutual Funds. A certain percentage of moviegoers, who didn’t have any prior knowledge of Mutual Funds blindly believed the hero Ajith’s opinion in the movie. 

Did the audience get influenced by Thunivu?

In our opinion, films like Thunivu that show Mutual Funds in a bad light, disregard the awareness campaigns such as “Mutual Funds Sahi Hai” by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). 

These campaigns are designed over long periods of time to create awareness in the common public about the benefits of investing in mutual funds. In the face of entertainment, Mutual Funds got butchered negatively in Thunivu.

On one hand, the audience loved the film and called it an Indian Money Heist. On the other hand, they were convinced that banks are not good and that mutual funds are not safe. 

At Vittae, we’ve heard our prospective clients question us “Ajith in Thunivu told us Mutual Funds are not safe. How can we trust you?”.

Our Financial Experts with a cumulative experience of 25 years corrected their assumptions on mutual funds. They helped them understand how mutual funds work and how not to fear them. 

Cinema has the power to influence a huge number of people in a span of two to three hours. In India, the protagonist is seen as a ‘superhero’ who kills the villain and protects the public. This inspires blind faith in what the hero says in the audiences’ minds. 

While the public enjoyed the movie, Thunivu’s take on Mutual Funds influenced a majority of them. 

Why did the audience believe what Thunivu said about Mutual Funds? 

It’s a common phenomenon for society to follow what the majority is doing. From the perspective of Behavioural Finance, the audience’s reaction to the movie is an example of Herding Bias.

It is ironic that a significant part of the audience did not trust SEBI, the regulatory board of securities.

A herding bias occurs when an individual follows the crowd instead of making independent decisions. When someone has the tendency to follow the actions of a larger group, they are basing their choices on a ‘herd’ that results in the possibility of a rational or irrational decision.

An excerpt from a dialogue in the movie:

“I invested in ten different companies, and it incurred a loss.”

The majority of the audience applied the herding bias and didn’t question the above statement made in the movie.

This is of concern as finance is a universal subject that applies to everyone. We deal with money on an everyday basis. When a movie with a vast audience, voices out incorrect information, it puts the audience at risk.

Hypothetically, out of 100 people, at least 20 people who planned to start investing in Mutual Funds might have backed out after seeing the movie.

What could the Thunivu Team have done differently?

Thunivu marks hero Ajith’s third collaboration with director H Vinoth and producer Boney Kapoor. In our opinion, the team should have been mindful of an important subject like Mutual Funds. The following are our thoughts on how they could have done so:

A clear and loud disclaimer 

The team’s lack of homework portrays Mutual Funds at the same risk level as individual stocks. The overload of information about Financial Scams goes to a point where it instills fear in the audience.

Create awareness on Mutual Funds

With many people showing up at pre-release events and post-success functions, the Thunivu Team should have created awareness about Mutual Funds then. 

What are Mutual Funds?

We’re sure you’re familiar with the word ‘Mutual’ friend/follower on Facebook/Instagram. 

A Mutual Friend is a common friend between two or more people. 

Similarly, Mutual Funds are based on the concept of a common fund pooled by a group of people. 

In financial terms, a mutual fund is an investment house where investors come together to pool their funds. The fund manager then invests the pooled-in funds in equities, bonds, real estate, gold, and other asset classes to generate higher returns. 

The gains/losses incurred from such investments are mutually divided among the investors in the ratio of their investments. 

Facts about Mutual Funds

We are sure you’ve wondered what’s the truth about Mutual Funds? Below are important facts that clarify how Mutual Funds portrayed incorrectly in Thunivu.

Experts manage mutual funds

The job of mutual fund managers is to safeguard the wealth of investors. Your portfolio is managed by these certified experts who conduct extensive research on buying & selling of stocks

Diversification of funds reduces risk

Mutual funds diversify investments into different financial instruments. When one industry doesn’t perform well, the gains from other sectors can cover the losses from the other sectors.

SEBI regulates mutual funds

Mutual funds are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), whose objective is to protect the interests of investors and regulate the securities market. 

Anyone can afford mutual funds

You can start investing in mutual funds with a minimum amount of ₹ 100 as well. 

Mutual funds are highly liquid

Liquidity is the ease of converting investment into cash. Liquidity is higher in Mutual Funds. You have the flexibility to sell investments and pull out money anytime.

Is it all really No Guts No Glory?

Social Media Platforms like Instagram and Twitter witnessed a lot of public slamming of the tagline of the Thunivu – No Guts No Glory. 

It ties back to the concept of talking negatively about Mutual Funds. 

Does an investor also need to have the “guts” to invest his savings in Mutual Funds, to enjoy the “glory” of higher returns? 

We agree that every audience member has the freedom to have their own opinion about the movie. However, we would like to remind you that by making multiple bad financial decisions, you’re missing out on Financial Freedom.

Investing in Mutual Funds and other financial products like Systematic Investment Plans (SIP), are building blocks for sustainable financial growth. 

Kindly don’t limit important financial decisions to advice from a source of entertainment. Plan your own financial goals and take the guidance of Financial Experts to help you get on track to financial growth.

Thunivu sure is a blockbuster movie, don’t let it bust your plans to start your investment journey.