"My mother tells me to invest in gold and save it for my marriage"

Money. That's what drives everyone in the final analysis, whether in the glamour world of acting or the hard grind of scripting and producing. Cashin' In sits down with TV celebs to know well they handle their financial matters, and tracks their spending patterns. Chandana Sharma, the pretty and petite Tara in Star One's Yeh Dil Chahe More is a complete daddy's girl in real life. She puts her heart and soul into her work and leaves money matters to her dad. Thanks to her army background, she has learnt to live life the disciplined way, even though she also quite an impulsive shopper! Kavita Shyam spoke to Chandana about how she deals with her dough! How do you manage your finances? Well, to be honest, my father manages my money and guides me. But I am aware of the investments he makes, like fixed deposits, life insurance schemes. So I know exactly what's happening with my money. What do you like to invest in? I have bought a car and I want to invest in a house this year. Besides, I have fixed deposits also. When did you start investing? I started investing long back, some five years ago. Do you dabble in the share market? My father does, but I don't but I do know what it's all about. Have you ever invested in property? Not so far. My sister was buying a house and I helped her, but this year, surely I will buy a house for myself. Are you an impulsive buyer? Yes, I am a very impulsive buyer. If I like something, I simply go ahead and buy it. I am a major spendthrift and shop for clothes, shoes; accessories and make-up. So I need my father to give me a regular status of my accounts to keep a check on my buying. Have you bought a car? I bought a champagne coloured Honda City two months ago. Previously, I had a Maruti Zen which I bought four years ago. Did you go in for loans while making any purchases? For my Maruti Zen, I did not have to go in for any loans but for my Honda City, I had to take a loan from the bank. Would you call yourself a self-made woman? I am a completely self-made woman. I am 24 years old now and had started working at the age of 15, when I was still studying (Just Mohabbat). I was also a dancer with Bosco-Caesar during that time and used to make good money. My entire family is from an army background and my father was very particular about our studies. We used to get an allowance every month and if we wanted anything above that amount, it had to be earned by ouselves. Do you bank on any other profession other than acting? I do want to start an animal shelter, but one requires a whole lot of money and land which will take me a while. So I am trying to make all the money I can now, so that I can start the centre in the future. Do you invest in gold? I do buy gold. My mother tells me to buy gold and save it for my marriage. I think every girl needs to invest in gold, I had bought a diamond ring two years ago, which I am very fond of. Does the Budget affect you? Not really. But if the petrol prices go up, it will probably affect me. Do you keep yourself updated on finance matters by reading newspapers? No, my father reads them and tries to tell me about them. I have a friend who works for The Times of India and she keeps me updated on such matters.