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Cover story: Queen of hearts
Right now, everybody’s favourite content creator, Prajakta Koli, is in love with the idea of love and she wants the world to know
Prajakta Koli starts her conversation with Brunch on a serious note about “discipline and drive”. She ends with a confession about being tipsy on mimosas at an awards show. The range is telling. Koli, 30, aka @MostlySane, has gone from being content creator and funny girl-next-door to appearing in shows such as Mismatched (2020-) and movies such as Jugjugg Jeeyo (2022) and Neeyat (2023), landing endorsement deals for travel platforms, and amassing nearly 8 million followers on Instagram. She is also writing her first book, a love story titled Too Good to be True. And through it all, she has stayed chill, relevant and, indeed, mostly sane. What’s her secret? Let’s ask:
One of the reasons fans find you so endearing is because you keep it real. Does this get tougher once fame flows in and life changes?
Things that remained constant in my life have helped me stay real. My audience has stayed with me through these years. I’m also fortunate because being a consumer myself, I know how quickly I move on, so I know I have to keep the content fresh. My immediate circle hasn’t changed over the years. I’ve had the same set of friends, the same team, and at home, the way my family treats me hasn’t changed drastically.
What keeps you centred and “mostly sane” off camera?
The biggest role in drawing this fine, near-nonexistent line between my personal and professional life has been developing the discipline of going to work, and reminding myself that work is only one part of my life. This isn’t about working hours—lord knows there’s nothing like that in what we do—but about disconnecting. If something isn’t helping or is costing you your peace, own up to it instead of blaming a platform.
The nature of my job was so erratic when I started out. At one point, I used to shoot in my father’s office at night. I’d have to wait for the place to clear out and would end up sleeping all day. I recognised this couldn’t go on, so I started creating a content calendar and forcing myself to make videos one way or another. Some days, I wasn’t in the mindspace to create, but I told myself to shut up and do the work. That’s what I’m doing with my book. It’s by far the most challenging thing I’ve done.
Most of your career has been before a camera. Why a book?
Because of a copious, unhealthy amount of romance novels! I had always been an avid reader but had never read a love story until December last year, when I had picked up Set on You by Amy Lea at the Delhi airport. Reading it just helped me find my space. I’ve read 62 romance novels since. I was initially developing concept notes for a show, but my team pointed out that they looked more like chapters than episodes. That’s how the book happened. I’ll be honest—I put no effort whatsoever into my protagonist, Avni’s, character. She’s me. I planted myself into the story. It’s the only part of the plot inspired by my life.
How do you know if a video will work?
I don’t think anybody knows! There’s only so much that numbers can tell you. Even before the era of YouTube, people would say they didn’t expect a short film, a TV show or an ad campaign to do as well or as badly as it did. That’s always going to be a gamble with storytelling. My first video that went viral, Hilarious Words Delhi People Use, was in 2015. I only made it because I didn’t want to miss a Thursday slot in my calendar. I shot it at my nani’s house in Delhi. For Types of People on Family WhatsApp Groups (2017), I simply went with a script that was ready, even though I wasn’t in the frame of mind to shoot it. My videos weren’t doing well at the time and this one brought my channel out of a lull.
In what ways has content creation changed since you started with YouTube in 2015?
I never expected the shift from long-form to short-form content to be this drastic. I remember when TikTok arrived in India (in 2016), I was almost in denial because it involved short clips. Then Instagram launched Reels, and my team asked me whether I wanted to start making videos there. I was almost offended! I love long-form, I love telling stories… Another massive shift is the rise of regional content—it altered the face of the digital economy as well as brand behaviour and collaborations.
You’ve represented Indian content creation here and abroad. What do Indians need to know about the global arena?
I don’t think what works globally works in India. We are way too diverse. In fact, people overseas are adapting their content to what works in India. Look at the number of creators who made videos using “So beautiful, so elegant…” with no context! American, English, Spanish and French creators dance to Shreya Goshal’s song Lattu. Nick Jonas is recording with King. Korean creators use Hindi tracks because they know how big the K-drama and K-pop market is in India. It’s all of them trying to reach us.
Can you recall that one moment when you thought, “Hey, I’ve made it?”
Honestly, no. But there have been occasions where I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being able to do the things I had once dreamt of. I remember a meet-and-greet with nearly 8,000 people back in 2018. I never imagined I could pull a crowd like that. Then there was the video with Michelle Obama in 2020. I got to work on a Marvel show with Audible this year. I used to tell my friends that I don’t want to be a Disney princess, I want to be a Dharma bride. The fact that I got to do that, act in Mismatched, that I get to live this life and write a book that people are actually interested in… it’s all a lot to take in.
In Mismatched, Rishi Singh Shekhawat is Dimple’s perfect match. How close is your fiancée Vrishank Khanal to being yours?
I thought I’d end up with someone with similar interests, until I met Vrishank. There are times when I wonder how I even met this guy from Nepal. From our cultures and upbringing to our taste in music and movies, we have nothing in common! It’s actually perfect because we’re like a jigsaw puzzle. It took us a while to realise this and get past conflict. We’ve made peace with being imperfectly perfect.
