TOI references Netflix's Money Heist to explain Budget 2022

One of the most unexpected crossovers we've seen in 2022 so far is of Netflix's popular show Money Heist and this year's Union Budget announcement. Times of India went the extra mile to break down the nuances of the announcements made as a part of this year's Union Budget, whilst making references to the popular show Money Heist or La Casa De Papel.

In Money Heist, a character nicknamed 'The Professor' is one of the main protagonists who engineers the scheme to plunder the Royal Mint of Spain. The Times of India - EY Guide references Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as The Professor while breaking down the points that individual taxpayers have to take note of.

An illustration of a vault with the faces of various characters like Rio, Denver, Helsinki and others, talks about the different ways that a person can maximise their income and save on taxes.

The second page in the spread talked in detail about the different components of the salaried class that are taxable. This included factors like house rent allowance, work from home expenses, PF and gratuity and more. Granted, this page didn't have as many references to the show, but it still kept with the theme of 'minting money', and featured illustrations of the characters Denver and Nairobi.

This isn't print media's first tryst with the popular Spanish show. In December 2021, Netflix partnered with national daily Hindustan Times to use the pages of its daily newspaper to bring the show to life for its massive Indian fan base. Conceptualised by Wavemaker, the print ad can be used as stickers of the Spanish show's iconic characters.