“I’m so sorry, I’m late. It’s been a crazy day,” says actor and content creator Prajakta Koli as she hastily joins our call. Yet, almost instantly, her presence feels warm and comforting. “It was a very weird morning for me—I couldn’t sleep until very late last night, and then I was wide awake at seven in the morning, spiralling about everything I had to do today.” She goes on, “I’m working on the edit of my book. I have a call with the illustrators for the cover of the book, plus I’ve been dubbing for my show Mismatched (Netflix). This morning, like most mornings, I woke up with a lot on my plate. That said, I also know that the only way to centre myself is to do something that makes me very happy. And my work does make me extremely happy.”
Koli’s journey began nearly a decade ago as a radio jockey. From starting her own YouTube channel in 2015 and garnering a large social following to dabbling with acting and getting good at it, she has been reinventing herself every step of the way. Koli is, at the moment, finishing up her soon-to-be-launched memoir Too Good To Be True. Over the years, her content has evolved to cater to an audience of over eight million. “Honestly, if you ask me if any of this was intentional or came from a place of consciously pivoting to follow trends, it wasn’t. I am as clueless now as I was when I started. I’m just a lot more confident today,” she says.
A lot has changed on the internet and Koli has organically evolved with it. “My audience has grown up with me. Newer audiences have come on board. Newer creators have joined social platforms, which have grown and transformed as well. My approach to writing and content is very different from what it was when I was 21. There is no one way of doing it. All our stories are different and deserve to be told. One of the things I leaned on a lot was the critical feedback from my audience. I think that marriage came together very well through engagement and interaction with the audience and the kind of content I wanted to create.”
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Koli strongly believes in creating content with responsible messaging, purpose and meaning. From advocating sustainability and spreading awareness about climate change to doting on female friendships and taking a clear stance on feminism—Koli remains conscious of every idea she puts out there and the impact she creates. “Even if what you say influences one person, it’s worth it. Everything that comes from you has to come from a place of responsibility. I will not speak for everyone else, but I’ve always felt that if my audience is spending that much time and energy consuming my content, I owe it to them that everything I do, speak about or stand for, I do responsibly,” she says.
Koli finds herself fortunate to have been able to interact with remarkable public figures like Michelle Obama, Priyanka Chopra and Samuel L. Jackson. “What is common between them, I realised, is their humility. Michelle Obama doesn’t walk into a room saying, ‘I’m Michelle Obama.’ When she walks into a room, she’ll greet and hug you. She is just such a girl’s girl. She’ll sit down, talk to you and listen. It was the same with Priyanka Chopra. That is a lesson I keep going back to,” says Koli.
Amidst nonstop media attention, the constant cycle of creating content and the need to be relevant, we wonder how Koli navigates the pressures of a multi-hyphenate career. “I stay grounded only because of my family and my closest circle. I’m not someone who has a lot of friends—I’d say three close friends. This circle was formed way before any of this happened to me. My life has changed a lot, but my immediate circle hasn’t. I’m also very dependent on my team, and that hasn’t changed since I started working. I’m also aware that all the opportunities that come my way are thanks to the community I’ve built. If anyone meets me and goes back thinking, ‘I thought she was better than that,’—my downfall starts right there,” Koli says.
Being in the public eye doesn’t faze her, and neither do the demands of creating content. “I remember when I started vlogging, I had very clearly told myself that I would only share my life with the audience. I don’t have the authority to share what my parents are doing or what my friends are doing. I can’t create content at the expense of anyone else’s privacy, but mine, and that hasn’t changed at all,” she says. Koli reveals that her biggest fear would be to stagnate and become complacent about where she is. “I hope I don’t reach a place where I am comfortable with where I am. And I love the attention. I have no shame in admitting that I live for it,” she says unapologetically. “I love it when someone asks me for an autograph or takes a picture with me. I love talking to my audience. This is the dream.”
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Koli maintains that self-care is an essential part of her everyday life. “An ideal day of pampering would include waking up early, reading a book, having some warm water, and working out—and, of course, a spa session would have to be a part of it. Last night was particularly lovely—I had a champi, deep cleansed, and left some conditioner on in my hair while I shaved my legs using the Gillette Venus Comfortglide Razor. It’s something I’ve been using for years now, and it’s a part of my regular routine. The perfect day would end with some desi Chinese food, watching a rom-com in bed,” Koli says.
As our conversation inched towards the end, a question lingered. What did it take to be where she is today? What’s the most important lesson she’s learnt on her journey so far? “There’s no alternative to showing up. How well you do and how good or bad you are are secondary. I think I’ve gotten through many terrible days as a creator, creative blocks, and self-doubt. But I showed up. Today has been one of those days. I don’t care how good I am at this— it could be one of my worst interviews or one of the best conversations I’ve ever had, and I’m not going to worry about it,” Koli concludes with her signature candour we’ve all come to love. Here’s to showing up for ourselves.
ELLE India Editor: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Photographer: Shannon Mikhail Lobo; Lead Stylist: Komal Shetty; Hair and Makeup: Shrushti Birje; Asst Art Director: Alekha Chugani (Cover Design); Bookings Editor: Rishith Shetty; Brand Coordinator: Rhea Sanil; Words: Maahi Shah; Assisted by: Idris Nidham (styling), Khushi Nagpal (bookings); Artist Representation: DNH Media & One Digital Entertainment
