In Mehboob’s Roti, the character played by Chandra Mohan is rich, greedy, and very proud of his wealth. He looks down upon a tribal community that doesn’t believe in the concept of money and follows the barter system. In a tragic ending, the character dies of thirst in the middle of a desert, with a car-full of gold.

Learning:

There must be someone willing to take what you have in exchange for what you need. If not, as the character suffered without getting water when he needed it, you will also face hardship. This is one of the reasons the barter system doesn’t always work.

When Chunni’s identical twin sister Munni is turned into a hen by the witch, the witch demands 100 chicken in exchange for turning Munni back into a human! The barter here is 100 hens for Munni’s human form.

Learning:

It is difficult to calculate and compare the value of two non-identical things. This is the other practical problem of barter system and the reason the concept of money evolved.

The main character in the film finds bundles of cash in her water pipe! Just when she thought she had found a solution to all her financial troubles, the Indian government announces demonetization and all the money she found becomes useless.

Learning:

Keeping money in the form of cash is risky. The government may decide that some notes are invalid. In that case, the notes you have will become useless until you exchange them with new notes. So, it is better to use plastic money.