Netflix debutante and Indian YouTuber Prajakta Koli on making people laugh, her first Bollywood film, and tackling social issues like online bullying
- The creator of popular Indian YouTube comedy channel MostlySane, Koli uses her high profile to highlight the problems teenagers face growing up
- She appeared in Netflix’s Hindi romcom Mismatched late last year, and will now star in big-budget Bollywood movie Jug Jugg Jeeyo
Growing up, 27-year-old Prajakta Koli never thought she was a class clown or the funniest person in the room, but this did not stop the cheerful, petite Indian YouTuber from creating the popular comedy channel MostlySane.
“I always got a good response from the audience whenever I performed on stage. Every time I was doing theatre, hosting a programme or a mock radio show during college days, I felt very true to myself and people said they found me witty and fun to listen to,” she explains.
Koli’s dream since middle school was to become a radio DJ, and she worked towards her goal diligently. While she did get a radio job and even hosted her own midnight show, Call Centre, it flopped and she quit. Then, in a twist of fate, she was encouraged by a friend to start a YouTube channel, and MostlySane launched in February 2015.
“Nearly five months after I started, my video called ‘10 Hilarious Words Delhi People Use’ went viral and it brought my channel to a new audience across the country. I started earning proper money from the channel only after a year of creating content,” Koli explains.
MostlySane contains comedy and funny role-playing videos in Hindi, and the content is relatable to Indian audiences as the ideas are taken from mundane situations in everyday life. Koli does not use slang or swear words, but this appeals to her fan base of more than 6.05 million subscribers.