Get ready for a captivating glimpse into the multiverse of Prajakta Koli! Our last cover of 2024 features the incredibly talented South Asian entertainment powerhouse. From YouTube sensation to Netflix star and passionate climate advocate, Koli spills the tea on it all.

She sits down with us to delve into how she transitioned from radio jockey to being the most prominent female content creator in India to her climate advocacy work as a UNDP India Youth Climate Champion. The Mumbai-based young star discusses her journey from starring in currently #1 trending Netflix series 'Mismatched' to the first meeting she had with her co-star Rohit Saraf, as well as behind-the-scenes stories and her initial thoughts on her on-screen character of Dimple.

She also shares insights into her debut novel, 'Too Good To Be True' (which is already enlisted as an Amazon bestseller during pre-order), her experience as the only Indian content creator to participate in the Paris Games Marathon for the International Olympic Committee and her longstanding association with Michelle Obama and Bill Gates.

First of all, thank you so much for joining me. Before delving into your amazing professional journey, I'd love to take you back to the initial phases of your career. What was it that lured you closer to the landscape of entertainment?

I've actually always gravitated towards it. I've derived a lot of joy in general from being a performer. I was very young when I started going up on stage because I used to train to be a Bharatnatyam dancer and started training to be a Bollywood dancer.

I did a bunch of different shows. It started from school plays, annual day performances, and eventually went into hosting and being on stage in college when I randomly went and auditioned for a theatre group. And I was very surprised that I made it through. That's how it started. 

So, I was always very sure that this is where my life is. And I always knew that this is where I'm the happiest, I feel the most confident, and the mostlike myself when I'm on stage and performing or any sort of artistic expression that I get through to.

I was very bad at art, though. I never got through to that. (Laughs)

But everything else- as long as it had to do with me being on stage, I think I was always there. So, I started doing theater when I was in college; went into doing radio eventually and that's how I kind of swerved into YouTube which opened up all these avenues for me that I didn't know were even a possibility so that came as a very happy surprise.

Then it started with 'Mismatched', 'Jugg Jugg Jeeyo', a bunch of other projects that I did. At this point, I just love the fact that I get to be a creator in a space that is so dynamic. And I don't think I could have asked for a better positioning work-wise. 

So delving a bit into your acting career. You are most prominently known for your involvement in the sensational Netflix project "Mismatched". 

I know Season 3 is about to make its debut, but talk to me more about how the initial audition process went for your character?

So, Panchami Ghavri, who's our casting director, actually reached out to me in 2019. And she was like, "Hi, I'm casting for a Netflix show." It was called 'When Dimple Met Rishi' back then based on Sandhya Menon's novel title. So she said, 'I'm testing, and I wanted to test you for Dimple.'

At that time, I wasn't actively doing things in order to get these audition calls. I did happen to get a few. A couple of them came close. 

But, for some reason, I always had that one tick in the back of my head where I was like, something's not right and for some reason I wanted to wait it out and to really take that step when something came along that felt right. 

Also, in general, nothing has changed since 2019 because I am terrified of auditions. I get extremely nervous. I'm very under confident when it comes to auditions. 

However, when she sent me Dimple's character sketch, I fell in love because up until then everything that came to me was- 'Oh, she's this cute, chubby girl next door and she's bubbly. She's this and that.'

But what I loved about Dimple's character sketch was that it had nothing to do with the way Dimple looked and that was extremely refreshing. I just knew she wore glasses- that was the only thing we knew.

We didn't know her skin colour, we didn't know if she was thin or fat, if she was tall, or if she was short. We didn't know what she looked like. But there was so much detail about how she was and who she was. And when I read her, I was like, 'Oh my God, she's gorgeous.'

Actually, you know what, I was supposed to go in for an audition; it was one of those calls where our casting director was like, 'Okay, when is the soonest that you can come?'

I was going on a YouTube trip in a couple of days and was like, 'I'm literally leaving for Japan tomorrow or the day after so I don't know how I can make it to this'. 

So, the day that I was supposed to go for the audition, there was a tornado that happened in Japan and my flight got delayed 6 hours and that's how I actually got that window to go and audition for Mismatched. 

And that was that. When I landed in Tokyo, I got a call saying, 'Hey, Netflix and our direction team really likes your audition. We would like to test you with the boy that we were looking for- Rishi.'

That's how I came back. I retested with Rohit (Saraf). And here we are, with Season 3. 

And what were your own first impressions about Dimple? Now that you have successfully portrayed her over the course of these 3 seasons, do you think those impressions were the same or did you come out of the project with an altered perception of her?

When I actually read her the first time, what I felt the most excited about was that I thought she was nothing like me. I felt that she was so different- like she didn't smile much, didn't really have a sense of humour, wasn't very likeable and was extremely flawed. 

She was hell bent on doing what she thought was right, was extremely stubborn, very motivated, aggressively ambitious. And I just thought that there was so much about her that's so new to me and nothing like me. 

But now that I've spent five years being her, I've come to realize that a lot of that is true, but there is also so much more to her that I've learned. She has this whole emotional side to her where she is selfless about the love that she has for someone.

She might not realize it, but she actually goes through altering her life course if she loves someone or if there is someone that becomes special to her, which I think is beautiful about her. I love that Dimple doesn't really hold back on anything if there's anything she's feeling or thinking, it's right there as she reacts to it.

I mean you have repercussions to it but I like that she's extremely transparent when it comes to everything. You'll never have to sit and think what's going on in that head of hers because she's going to tell you. 

Although, over the past five years, I think I've reached a point where I've grown very fond of her and I feel very happy and grateful that I get to be her.

And how was it like stepping into the shoes of dimple once again? Was it a bit easier for you now that you played this character in the previous installment or did you face any challenges this time around? 

I wouldn't say easy but I mean at the risk of sounding a little bit cocky- I wouldn't also say it was hard because I don't think she ever left. I mean, I've lived with her for five years now. She's a huge part of my life.

I am a huge romance fan so the fact that I get to live this life where there's a romance book female main character that has been adapted into film and I get to be that person is a huge high for me. It's a major ego boost in my head, so I'm never living that down.

In my head with Dimple, I could switch into her as soon as I reach on set for 'Mismatched'. I believe the creators of the show around me have actually made that process very simple. 

And my co-stars have made that process extremely special for me so there's something about this show that when you do come back to the set, no matter how long it's been, everything just clicks into place and it's go time. 

Do you remember your first time on set and getting to meet your wonderful Co-stars and crew members affiliated with the project for the first time? 

Of course! Rohit (Saraf) was the first person I met because I tested with him. I remember our direction team was actually doing a reading for everyone and that's the first time I met everybody. 

It's such a funny story because I was shooting this show for my YouTube channel where I was fishing in the ocean for six hours and so I did not have the time to even take a shower before going to my first official reading of Mismatched. 

I've actually entered this room full of strangers and I've announced, 'Hi. I'm Prajakta, I smell of fish- I'm really sorry I've stunk up the whole room here smelling of the ocean.' (Laughs)

I mean if there was ever a way to break the ice that was what worked. And everybody was just lovely. I think the first friend I made other than Rohit on that set was Muskkaan (Jaferi) and we still continue to be very close.

Over the course of these five years, I've actually ended up making many beautiful relationships on that set.

Straying away from this particular exciting project, I have to ask you a bit more about your astonishingly humanitarian side. You are the Youth Climate Champion of UNDP India actively advocating taking strict climate action against climate change. 

So how did this conscious decision come into inception pertaining to using your platform for such a significant and impactful cause. 

It wasn't conscious at all. So, I started making and speaking about socially relevant content beyond the comedy and the lifestyle stuff that I was doing on my channel in 2000. 

Around 2015; a few months into making content on my YouTube channel, I started a conversation around body positivity and discussion that went into mental health, education, gender equality and further into inclusivity, girls education specifically, and then Climate Action was the last domino to that whole string.

I remember UNDP getting in touch with me and asking me if I was interested in collaborating. I was like, '100%, I am.' when they told me they wanted me to be a huge climate champion for the country. 

I was like, 'Why Me?' because to be honest, there wasn't any active work that I had done in this field. I know there were many people who have been workingfor far longer and have done more impactful, actionable work. 

But that's when we ended up chatting about how the possibilities of impact through my community were exciting. And I agreed with them.

That is how I went onboard and started working on it. And I'm so glad that I did what I did. But as of now, I feel very happy and proud that I get to use my platform to be a vehicle between getting conversations that need to be done, simplified to an audience that is caring about it, and eventually bring about some kind of anxiety. 

There's a couple of projects we are working on that I'm not allowed to speak about, yet. But when they go through, I feel like I'll feel prouder about doing it.

And you are also about to launch your upcoming book 'Too Good To Be True'. First of all, huge congratulations on that! I mean It's releasing on 5th December so that's also very close to being launched.

How did you decide penning down a novel was something you also wanted to pursue professionally and what can you tell us about the general theme of the book?

So, it's a romance fiction novel. It's called 'Too Good To Be True.' 

I love romance! I love writing romance as much as I love reading romance. If I had to step out of my YouTube universe, if there was anything I was always dreaming of, it was this. 

I derived too much joy from it and I'm slightly also delusional with it so it's a very seriously aspirational space for me when it comes to romance which is the only explanation we could have as to how I went on and wrote a whole book.

I was working on a couple of ideas to make into movies and shows because I wanted to write long-form and I wanted to pitch it to production houses as well as OTT platforms and be like, 'Hey, do you all think you want to spend some money on something I've written and make it?'

So, the idea of the story of the book came to me then, and I wanted to make it an eight-episode season. But when I started writing it, I started writing these excerpts of how I imagined everything to be when we actually started adapting to screenplay. 

When I shared these excerpts with the team, they were like, 'Prajakta, these look a lot like chapters.' And I was like, 'They do. So, should I just like dare?' And they were like, 'Yes, you can give it a go.' 

That's literally how it started. Because it's such a daunting thing to even get up one morning and tell yourself, 'Come, let's write a book.' I could never imagine doing that. I love books. I've been a reader all my life. I believe the past three years have been when I've read the most amount of books.

I love it but I never even had the guts to imagine that I wanted to go ahead and write a book so I have no clue how this has happened honestly. I started writing in March last year and I literally submitted the final draft today like right after this call, I go and I just make the final tweaks and send it because it's a Friday today.

Monday is when my book goes into printing. I'm at that point right now where it's all so overwhelming. I'm just trying to get through these days so that I don't self combust into a pile of ashes.

So, that's how it started and I still have no clue how I've done it, oh my god. (Laughs) 

You recently also were the only Indian creator to be a part of this year's Olympics and IOC. So talk to me more about that particular experience. 

That was great! It was crazy because I actually ran my first and probably the last 10k. (Laughs) 

When the Olympics team reached outto me, they were like, 'Hey Prajakta! We would love for you to come to Paris.' 

I was like, 'Yes, I would love to be in Paris and watch the Olympics and make content.' and they were like, 'Are you a runner? Would you like to run a 10k?'

I said no. But in that moment I was like if I ever had to run a 10k, starting in the Paris Olympics will be pretty iconic. So, I was like 'Okay, you know what? Fine I'll do it.' 

And then it was all great because they put me in touch with Lloyd who was my trainer. He sent me a whole plan and we kind of started training for it for a few months.

I honestly didn't think I would be able to do it and on the day of the race everybody was like 'Oh, you have to make sure that you have like your salts and enough electrolytes. You make sure that you have a lot of protein.' and I was freaking out. I was so scared that I've never run 10k. I don't even enjoy running as much. 

I was having one of those moments where I was like, 'Why do I always sign up for more stuff than I can deliver?' Like, why did I have one of those like peak days where I was like, 'Oh, I can do it!' but now I'm here to deal with it and I don't like it. 

And I just took my team out and was like, 'We're having dumplings.'

So, moral of the story is that if I could run a 10K with almost zero training and a plate full of dumplings, anyone can. I think it was a successful trip to the Olympics. (Laughs) 

You have already garnered such prestigious accolades; being a Daytime Emmy Award winner for your collaboration with Michelle Obama's 'Creators for Change' and as we speak you are actively branching out to a plethora of creative outlets.

So, how does it feel knowing that you have established such a massive fanbase from around the world like does it ever get pressurising for you to put out projects knowing there is such a vast majority of people out there already in anticipation to witnessing whatever it is you do?  

I mean It's definitely the wind under my wings. Honestly, I don't think I would ever have the guts to do any of these things unless I had the community that I do.

On everything- every opportunity, every idea, every step that I take even if it's an inch out of my comfort zone; to try new things and to even dare to dream it- it stems from my community. I could not have done this without the audience that has held my hand through thick and thin over the past 10 years now online.

I say this all the time and I will say it again, I literally have the best audience in the world. They are supportive, honest, loud, and are critics- they also offer criticism which I appreciate, which is why over the past decade, I think our relationship has gone beyond just what it was.

And I feel very grateful that I have this entire army of people that Ican actually lean on when I'm trying these things so it is extremely motivating.

It also keeps me on track and keeps my sanity in check because I know that whatever I am is because of the people in my life, it's because of mycommunity, my team, my family who have been my strongest pillars; so keeping that in mind, it also helps me in staying grounded, keeping my vision, and having that clarity of thought going into anything.

I was a lot less hinged when I was younger and I started making content. When I breathe, I was almost overconfident and was like, 'I can do anything.' I would get up in the morning and used to be like, 'I'll write a song. Yes, I'll go play it. I can do anything.' 

I felt like the pressure of it all also weighed on my shoulder in a good way whereas now, everything I do comes from a place of more information, thoughts, and more planning and I like that.

I mean I turned 31 this year and honestly, I love that at this point every day in my life is planned. There's a lot more structure than there was before and that has only come to me because of my community and my audience so I feel very grateful for that. 

And having said that, I would be lying if i said that, 'Yes, I can't wait for the book to come out.' But I am so scared and nervous because I also know it's such a commitment reading a book- there's so much time you're going to spend, and there is so much else you can do with that time and money but you choose to spend it on a book.

I know how much commitment that takes so I'm really hoping that it's everyone's worthwhile. 

Going back to Mismatched, we are literally on the verge of the third installment dropping so how is this anticipation period going for you? Feeling nervous or excited? 

I am such a ball of nerves right now. My sanity is literally hanging by a thread just for today because once I submit my book, I have tomorrow and day after that. These are the only two days I have to spend with my family, get enough sleep, to meditate as much as I can because from Monday we start promoting Mismatched.

It's going to be a roller coaster because when we get done with Mismatched, I get into the book- so the book comes out, I get into the book tour; and then there's another very major life event that happens after so I am very excited for it. 

I believe this one is the best pilot of the three seasons. I mean, I love the show. I'm a hardcore fan of Dimple and Rishi. But I love how this season starts. I love how much they are going through, but also coming out victorious in a way or two. And I love that you get to see a lot more of Dimple this time around. 

Ending Note:- What's next for you, Prajakta? Any other projects that you're currently working on that you'd like to tell us or your fans about? 

I finished working on another project for Prime Video. It's called 'Andhera'. It's a supernatural thriller, which is again something very different from anything I've done before. Again, very exciting. That comes out hopefully soon. I don't know how things like that have just happened for me.

There's another Netflix project that I am working on right now, which is very exciting. I also feel very proud that I get to be a part of a story that's so beautiful and so important to be told. We don't know anything about that yet or when that comes out but I'm just happy that I'm involved.

And then we've got another thing lining up, but I don't know if I can talk about it yet.