Exclusive: Prajakta Koli on keeping things real in a virtual world

From becoming a social media sensation in her early 20s to now making waves in Bollywood a few years later, Prajakta Koli has had several milestone achievements. With a fan following that now runs into millions, Koli knows that be it on the digital space or a web series/movie, content will always remain king. Riding on the success of the recently released Mismatched Season 2, the uber-popular content creator caught up with Cosmopolitan India and let her fans know about her upcoming projects, life as a social media sensation and a lot more. 

Cosmo: What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words Cosmopolitan India? 

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Koli: I’ll be very honest, the first thing that comes to my mind is The Devil Wears Prada, I heard about the magazine in the movie along with Friends, Sex and the City. I didn’t grow up reading a lot of magazines, but Cosmo will always be special to me. The reason I say this because I remember being awarded by them a few years ago. That was also the very first time I was styled by a designer – Kanika Goyal, which was absolutely crazy. Come to think of it, what I wore was the purple Cosmo colour as well. 

Cosmo: Jugjugg Jeeyo and now the second season of Mismatched, what’s next for Prajakta Koli?

 

Koli: The past couple of weeks have been hectic in the best way possible. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Although Jugjugg Jeeyo came out in June, I wasn’t a part of the promotions since I was busy shooting in London. I literally landed three days before its release. It was for Mismatched that I ended up promoting a project that I starred in for the very first time. I was unable to do that in the first season because that released during the lockdown. I remember feeling very strange—you see a new side to your work that you always knew existed, but had never experienced it for yourself. It was very overwhelming for me. I don’t over think and keep moving on. I’m very grateful that I’m getting to do what I love. 

I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it, but there’s something really fun and very different to anything that I’ve done before that’s coming out this year. It’s really close to my heart. It brings out my filmy best. I’ve also finished shooting a film and a show that will come out next year. 

Cosmo: Since you were doing the second season of a series, what is the difference you felt playing the part as compared to the first season? 

Koli: I mean I wouldn’t call it easy. For me, the fact that I knew my character Dimple Ahuja a lot better was really comforting. I think I learnt a lot about her in season two and that brought a lot of comfort while essaying the character. I’ve not spoken about this—I never realised that my walk is different when I am Dimple. She always walks with her wristed balled up, she’s anxious and her hands don’t move and go very far away from her body. That’s not how I walk. I realised that she’s such a big part of me. I’m very attached to her. The getting-back part wasn’t as challenging to me as compared to finding new things about her personality. For example, I didn’t know that she has a history or panic attacks or how she would react in a situation with Harsh, dealing with heartbreak and rejection. So, learning those things was a lot of fun. 

 

Cosmo: How did Mostlysane get her name?

Koli: I get asked this so many times and I wish that I had an interesting answer to this question. I had absolutely no clue what to name my channel. I didn’t want to name it Prajakta Koli because it’s a really long name and it’s been butchered all my life while growing up. I wanted to keep something simple. I didn’t give it much thought but the name made a lot of sense much later. 

Cosmo: How do you differentiate when you’re being criticised and being trolled? And do you deal with them differently? 

Koli: I definitely differentiate between the two. I deal with criticism, not with trolling. It’s not my fight to fight. I’m not going to sit down and decipher what a senseless troll is trying to make of me. That’s not my problem. I value the criticism I receive and look forward to it. It’s impactful and has helped me grow.   

Cosmo: What does being an influencer mean to you?

Koli: I never associated myself with the word influencer. I’ve always been more of a content creator. What it means to me is that immense place of privilege that my audience has given me where I have a voice, reach, and impact. If I speak, there is someone speaking back. I have the power to speak about things close to me and that is something that I’m very proud of. 

Cosmo: Content creation keeps evolving from time to time. And you’ve been a creator for so long. Can you tell us what part of content creation you believe you have aced and what is that one thing that feels challenging to you? 

Koli: I’m a horrible editor. It’s something that I’m really bad at. I can definitely up my skills there. But because I hate it so much, I’m not even trying to do it. Shout out to my editor Ravi, who I’m so dependent on. Coming to the good, I think I understand characters very well. 

Cosmo: With numbers being super important in terms of social content, which milestones, in terms of followers or engagement, did you particularly celebrate and how? 

Koli: I remember my first 1000 views when I had just 13 subscribers. I remember my first 100, 1,000, 10,000, 1mn, 2mn, 5mn, every single one of them.  

Cosmo: How similar is the real Prajakta Kohli to Mostlysane, your online persona? 

Koli: We’re not very different because that would just be very exhausting—leading two lives. I don’t think I’d be able to do that. Earlier on, I realised that it’ll be a lot of fun if I don’t put a face on. That’s not something that works on the internet. There’s no difference between my real and digital life, but obviously there are some things that I refrain from discussing and choose to keep private. 

Cosmo: How do you deal with the bad days?

Koli: I like to take a step back. I stay with myself and figure things out before I go ahead with anything. My viewers know this very well that if I’m away, it’s because I’m dealing with something. This is what I really love about them. 

Cosmo: How does one maintain their voice and at the same time speak the language of the brand when it comes to collabs? 

Koli: I think I’ve been very fortunate to work with brands that’ve been collaborative. So, meeting them midway has worked out perfectly well. At the start brands and we were learning. Over time, we all mutually reached a point where each of us has realised what each other’s impact on their communication channels would be. 

 

Cosmo: Any tips and advice for budding content creators?

Koli: The biggest thing I’d tell them is to just start. Don’t wait for anything, or that one great idea, that one expensive camera. There’s never a better time. Right now is a gorgeous time. Also, don’t ever underestimate content. It’s something that I’ve learnt the hard way. Furthermore, make friends with your content blocks. You come out wiser and a better creator. 

Cosmo: What’s your comfort food and ultimate travel destination?

Koli: My comfort food is bhaakri (round roti) and fried fish. You just give me prawn curry and rice and a surmaai fry and bhaakri and I’m sorted. Or even dal khichdi and fried chicken. 

A destination that I really want to go to is the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I once got there, but couldn’t get tickets. I ended up sobbing like a child so it’s a place that I really want to go.

Cosmo: Any relationship advice for the Gen Z and millenials?

Koli: I’d like to say that it’s never going to be clear. It’s always going to be filled with ups and downs. It’s not going to be perfect and be a work in progress. That’s the beauty of it, at least for me.