How to become the ultimate Bollywood insider
A household name for literally everything related to Bollywood, Malini Agarwal is India’s OG influencer! This blogging queen is a digital superstar along with being a celebrity host and best-selling author. She started her career with an interesting array of jobs but landed up as an RJ with Radio One 94.3 FM and also went on to become Channel V’s Head of Digital Content. This serendipitously led to starting her own blog covering news from the world of Bollywood, which eventually made her popular as Miss Malini.
Malini On Making It As A Content Creator
I think it’s about not giving up. It’s about saying, okay, what do I need to tweak? And what is my skill set that I can find my way back to where I eventually want to get in that sliding door?
The One Thing That Everyone Should Remember, Esp. When Starting Out According to Malini
At the workplace, don’t ever say that’s not my job. No job will ever be a loss.
All through school and college, you pay for an education. When you work somewhere, you are getting paid to learn new skills.
Malini Agarwal’s Golden Rule
I have a rule that we will never write anything that we can’t say to your face. And that means 80% of the gossip I know, I could never tell.
Malini On Finding Your Niche
I’m not a model. I’m not a Kim Kardashian. I’m not an expert in beauty or fashion. I’m just someone who loves entertainment and loves to document what I do.
What Made Her Sucessful
The greatest success for me has been the fact that I didn’t follow someone else’s footsteps. I carved my own path and I took the pieces I loved best about everything and made them my own.
I was able to carve a niche for myself because I found a gap. And that I think is true of any brand or product. What need do you fulfill?
MissMalini’s Advice To Her 20 Year Old Self
Don’t wish time away and be more present. They say forever is made up of a series of nows and tomorrow never comes and yesterday is gone. So all you have is now. And we don’t spend enough time in the now, especially us as content creators because we’re always thinking of our next post.
How To Make It As A Content Creator
Before you decide that you want to be a content creator – stop; close your eyes, think about the one thing that you want to do for the rest of your life, even if nobody paid you to do it. Make that your career and fame and fortune will follow.
Malini On Work Life Balance
I lean into what Wendy Clark, ex CEO of DDB, said: forget work life balance, work life integration is where it’s at. Otherwise, you’ll always be at work missing your kids or your dog, or you’ll be at home missing your work. Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Rapid Fire With Miss Malini
I would be remiss to not do a rapid fire round of questions given this exclusive access to the sharpest minds in the country. So thank Karan Johar for his Koffee influence or blame our insatiable appetite for bite sized content, but here’s presenting the relentless and fun rapid fire round. (ProTip: There’s one at the end of each episode so always stay tuned till the end)
One thing about you that no one knows?
I have crippling stage fright. My hands sweat and I’m very traumatic to be married to just before I have to do any public speaking.
If a movie was made about your life who would play you?
I wish it would be Deepika Padukone – I love her to bits!
A celebrity that inspires you?
So many! I have to say Priyanka Chopra for sure. Especially because when I just spoke to her, she had so much new calm and she said she just doesn’t feel like she has to be in a race with anyone except herself anymore.
A celebrity that you have the serious hots for?
Oh man, so many over the years, but Amir Khan is forever my favourite!
What makes you really happy?
Connecting people.
How do you celebrate the highs?
I party, like there’s no tomorrow! And you know this Priyanka, I made you do it too.
What gets you down?
I think when I’m misunderstood.
And how do you cope with that?
Very poorly.
The biggest misconception that people have about you?
That I’m going be this huge B * T C H because I’m a Bollywood blogger. I’m a really nice person and I think it’s just the impression; it’s kind of bittersweet. People come up to me and they’re like ‘Malini, you’re so nice’ and I’m like, ‘why are you so surprised?’
What makes you really happy?
Being around people that I love and doing things that I enjoy.
Something you love doing at work?
Ideating. I’m an idea factory!
Something you really don’t like doing at work?
Correcting people. Cause I’m really bad at it and I have to do it too often.
Complete the following sentence for me: The road to success is…
Paved with unforgettable memories.
Dream, build, or scale?
Well, if you dream, then there’s no limit to the scale. Build a dream! How about that?