Malini Agarwal, also known as MissMalini, has worn many hats in her decade-long career in the Indian entertainment industry, but, in a first as an author, the 40-year-old Mumbai-based blogger documents her professional journey in a book.
The book, which some might find akin to reading a dandied-up blog, may not be lauded for its literary content, but readers can give it a shot for the spunky sense of adventure that forms the crux of the author’s personality, while she uses endearing tools such as self-deprecating humour, a rather humble take on her talents as a beginner in the industry and her blatant love for Bollywood to narrate her story.
This book, very tactfully, is aimed at new-age social media users and influencers, who perhaps will be the only ones to benefit from Agarwal’s borderline preachy mantras about how, in the city of dreams (Mumbai), all one has to do is follow their passion, which should automatically send success, opportunities and money flying their way.
While the author herself jumps from one professional challenge to another, from a copywriter to a radio show host and content creator, the opportunities seem as if they had been waiting outside her door, but the readers must not mistake them for an easy life. Agarwal, who landed in Mumbai with a mere Rs 40,000 in the bank and one point of contact in a new city, must have encountered hard days, but they have been gently airbrushed to look less jolting, while highlighting the author’s gradual growth in the entertainment industry.
However, not everyone can make it in the city of dreams. Maybe the book is a rundown cliche being propagated to create a feel-good story, but no one can challenge the spirit of entrepreneurship that Agarwal has, building herself into a brand that reaches out to an audience of close to four million people in as many as 200 countries. In fact, the biggest takeaway from this book is a quote from the author herself: “Giving up on one dream doesn’t make you a quitter. Quitting dreaming does.”
Unfortunately, the book is not meant for non-initiates, who won’t be able to enjoy such a glaring peak into the supposedly private lives and times of those being spoken about. One must know their backstories or at least their current profiles, both of which have been given a miss by the author, who presumptuously introduces key industry players without much preamble, which can leave certain readers confused.
