So, the Union Budget for the year 2019 was announced this morning by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. While the best minds of the country are exploring the nitty-gritties of the Budget and breaking it down in simple English for us non-commerce-background people to understand, I couldn’t help but pay a little attention to one part of the announcement.
This was about gold, the prices of which are now going to skyrocket since the import duty on gold and other precious metals has been increased from 10% to 12.5%. To put things in perspective, the price of gold in India was already high compared to international standards due to the weak rupee. Now, with the hike in import duty, there will be an additional burden on the buyers.
Why is this important, you ask? Come on! If you have paid the slightest attention to the wardrobe of the who’s who of Bollywood, you know how much our stars love their bling. In Bollywood, all that glitters is gold. Always. We have, in fact, made a list of the people who will likely be the most affected by the increase in the price of gold:
It’s ya boy Badshahhhh!! (minus the gold, of course)
‘DJ Waale Babu’ aka badboy Badshah will be begging for ‘Mercy’, quite literally, now that the price of gold has increased.
Indian hip-hop is all about showing off cars, accessories and bling — and when it comes to Badshah, ‘Gold’ is what ‘Wakhra Swag’ is all about.
We just hope that Badshah does not run out of gold or else his competitors might catch up with him (Diljit, are you listening)?
Speaking of Badshah’s competitors, the next on the list is:
Yo Yo Honey Singh (now with 30% less gold and 20% more misogyny)
If there ever was a nightmare for India's feminist discourse, it would be called Honey Singh.
Now that the price of gold has increased, and his sexist music videos wouldn’t feature as much bling, maybe he will only use more sexism to cover up.
Sigh.
A living, breathing, walking gold mine — Bappi Lahri
Bappi Da will probably be worst hit by the increase in gold prices, considering the fact that the man dons such heavy jewellery — for which he is globally famous. Recently, Bappi Da had declared in his affidavit that he possesses 754 grams of gold jewellery worth around Rs 17 lakh and 4.62 kg of silver valued at over Rs 2 lakh. Given how much gold he owns, he actually might make some dough if he tries to sell it now.
But knowing his love for gold, it is highly doubtful if he will be keen on it.
The living legend — Rekha
They say ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friends’ — but diva forever Rekha is a clear exception to this trend.
The veteran actress slays in both gold. Truth be told, even if Rekha isn't wearing gold, she would still shine and I doubt the price hike will affect her style statement. But we might see her wearing less of those shiny gold adornments and as a true-blue Rekha fan, with her loveliness shining through, I don’t really mind!
Union Budget 2019 has clearly shaken and stirred the gold souks.
Let’s keep these lovers of gold in our thoughts through these difficult times.