Malini Agarwal, the woman behind MissMalini.com

If Just Jared is your must-stop for Hollywood gossip and entertainment news, MissMalini.com finds its inspiration in Bollywood. And if you are a blogger wanting to learn ways to make a profession out of your hobby, you certainly should take a dekko at the way this 37-year-old operates. Malini Agarwal has, in fact, gone beyond the virtual zone to have a reality show of her own –– MissMalini’s World on TLC.

What drives her and her virtual playmate? She tells t2.

The website helps fashion designers and players in the lifestyle segment. Was this a predetermined focus?

Yes, absolutely. Indian designers are so talented, and their ethnic and western designs are hugely popular domestically and are coming into their own around the world. When we built up our fashion team and content, one of the goals was to showcase all the fashion talent that India has to offer, from popular designers like Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani, JJ, Rohit Bal, Sabya, Manish Arora and more to young, upcoming designers who are poised to shake up the industry (Papa Don’t Preach, Quirk Box, Drvv, Ikai, Theorem by Nitin Chawla…).

Perez Hilton has diversified his business to include new verticals like TeddyHilton (for pets), Perezitos (children) and FitPerez (fitness). Any such plans?

Absolutely. This is the fun part and what keeps me and my team motivated. There is so much potential in this market. As to specifics, all I can say is keep watching us through 2015. We’ve already launched our TV show –– MissMalini’s World –– on TLC (along the TMZ entertainment-reality format but again, non-invasive), something a digital brand has done uniquely for the first time in India. We love the challenge of creating engaging creative content across platforms and we’re pretty good at it! We’re also launching a line of social media-inspired jewellery, games and clothing soon, and that book isn’t far away.

Where do you source information from? How big a team do you have?

If I tell you, I’d have to kill you! “Gossip” stories often come from the most unexpected sources. For example, a friend who happened to be sitting in the same first-class row as Ranbir and Katrina before people knew they were dating helped us break that story. We affectionately dubbed him “Lufthansa Guy”! My team now includes 14 full-time employees and countless guest contributors. This number would probably double in the next few months.

Some of the posts on your website may have angered celebrities, like the one about Shah Rukh Khan’s surrogate-born son. Do they bear a grudge or take it sportingly?

We are never malicious and we don’t take cheap shots. Of course we sometimes report things that the celebrities aren’t fond of, but most of them have been great sports.

In the case of the post about Shah Rukh Khan’s son, I realised after posting it that it was a bit invasive and took it down. Entertainment journalism is an interesting beast and you have to constantly check yourself to see if you’re taking things too far. I like to believe that I’ve come a long way and learnt a lot about myself in the process. I like to celebrate people while they are still alive but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun together too.

Some 304,000 followers on Twitter. How does social networking work for you?

Social media is the number one way we connect with the people. It is also what allows us to bridge the gap between celebrities and their fans. With MissMalini we ask celebs questions from their fans on Twitter directly, and on Google+ we can let our followers join a live video chat and actually speak with them. We’re basically your BFF and one degree of separation to the stars, all rolled into one!

Finally, what was your first blog?

I think I did two. One about Saif Ali Khan’s ex-girlfriend Rosa Catalano sexily eating a piece of cheese for photogs at Olive, and Sapna Bhavnani’s new do –– when she went peroxide blonde.