Comedian Mallika Dua Recalls How Financial Ignorance Led To Rs 8 Lakh Penalty: 'CA Scolded Me'

We have all faced our fair share of tax penalties and stern lectures from our CAs for financial mismanagement and lack of awareness. Interestingly, our favourite celebrities aren’t exempt from such experiences either. Comedian Mallika Dua recently shared her own story of dealing with a hefty tax penalty of Rs 8 lakh and the repercussions with her CA. Speaking on Zerodha’s Girl Boss podcast, Mallika emphasised the crucial role of having a competent and knowledgeable CA.

Speaking on how money works in the industry and managing her earnings, she recalled having a “terrible CA” at the beginning of her career, who she claimed never paid things on time, forcing her to pay Rs 8 lakh in penalties.

“I did not know. I just kept thinking that I had hired a CA, and he was doing his job. This guy was working for several comedians and was hired by the agency I was working with. One day, he sent an email saying, ‘I am quitting this profession’. I was like, ‘What is this happening?’ and this is when my friend referred me to her own CA,” she said while confessing to being “financially illiterate” at the time.

Mallika further revealed how the new CA scolded her for blindly paying penalties for all these years. “I did not know I was paying penalties, as I just thought I had to pay the amount, he says. This is financial illiteracy and ignorance at best. Then I realised that you can’t try to save money and be foolish about how you save it. Hiring the correct resources is very important, especially a sharp CA,” she added.

Dua also shared how she started getting more involved in tax-related activities and became aware.

While the comedian’s honest confession underscores the importance of being informed, it has left social media users divided. A user wrote, “So well said. This should be part of the curriculum,” while another commented, “They waste time teaching us trigonometry. I have no idea where to use that. I’m now writing a script around it. About a man who goes crazy, trying to figure out the purpose of trigonometry in life.”

Dua herself commented on the post and added, “Highly recommend a CA that scolds.”