Malishka Mendonsa
RJ Malishka is the most popular Radio Jockey who has been in the news in recent times for her face off with the Mumbai Corporation for a video parody that went crazily viral and which quickly got a life of its own!
Malishka trained actress Vidya Balan for her portrayal of a Radio Jockey in the film Munnabhai MBBS 2. An award winning RJ, Malishka is an accomplished entertainer who is a celebrity anchor for shows, shall be debuting in soon to be released film ‘Tumhari Sulu’ and is an original thinker. Her irreverent style is charming and we adore her spunk and self confidence.
She is our #special9.
A lot of Leadership is a Private Journey of some hard hitting decision making. Do you agree?
It’s a continuous process where we are having to make decisions day-in and day out. At times these decisions are accepted and sometimes, one just needs to have the conviction to go ahead a make that difficult decision.
I recently decided to use the word ‘vagina’ on the show from the Kangana Ranaut featured song on my show and I believe that we need to project things in the right perspective. It was a decision that I needed to take and think of consequences thereof.
It’s a struggle to make decisions every day and especially in my field of Entertainment when there is overwhelming use of social media, it is with care and wisdom that we need to balance our approach every single day.
I am a straddler of entertainment world and it is important for me to be able to entertain every single time I am on my show or am on stage etc. To try to maintain that quality of output is important for me and yes the mind is ticking all the time trying to make the right decisions however hard they may be.
Were there any important mentors or influencers in your life that led you to your current position?
The one person whom we call the ‘PhoolanDevi’ of our lives and that’s my Mother! She has been the single most influencer of my life. She grew up in a family of men and has experienced the biased approach towards women. Being a working mother herself and having lost my father while I was much younger, she has been a tough person who has brought us to have self belief and lead a fulfilling life.
Her gem of advice has always been – If you need to work then you do need to focus and work and achieve and when you are meant to have fun, then yes! Go ahead and have fun. Live life and be Happy.
How do you think being a woman impacts your leadership style?
Not really. I have been fortunate to be in a field where my gender is not a factor for success. I work in an organization that is led by women and have been fortunate to have wonderful women Producer for my show. I have always had a sense of ‘Fairness’ and it is very important for me that fairness be maintained in communication, at work and in times of conflict.
I have seen women being undermined in spite of their capability and that’s a reality. I have been exceptionally fortunate to not have had to think of my gender while making decisions that I believe in. At the same time, this sense of fairness which is inbuilt in me has always propelled me to achieve more and that is perhaps what makes me fearless in decision making.
What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you? What advice would you give a young woman starting out in her career?
I am sure every generation has had their different sets of challenges. Like I may feel that my mother’s generation had a simpler life which is true to an extent but surely they too had their problems.
In today’s times, if you read the newspaper it may as well feel that the world is ending! There is so much of negativity and conflict going around and so much opining on social media. You don’t need to be aggressive
I would say to new careerists that don’t lose your ‘essence’. Be true to yourself and things will fall in place. The worry about career, making money and being successful takes a huge toll. If you have a sound mind and a good foundation then things will roll and you will achieve. It is a process and it will evolve. What is important is not being fragile.
In times of stress, what is it that gives you solace?
I count my blessings! It is humbling to know there are countless who would want to be in my shoes and it is important to be aware and savor what is happening in life. We keep on moving at an unbelievable speed wanting more and more every day, the kind of interaction we have with people has changed so much and there are so many things happening at one time…like my film is coming up, or I am signing something new or then there is a viral video that needs to be done and so on…my point is that there is always something that is happening but to space it and be thankful for it is what life is about. That perhaps is my solace.
A Woman Anchor in your life you would dedicate this interview too?
Undoubtedly My Mother.
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