Where Stars Are Born

Fresh, innovative content on their youtube channels has enabled many digital stars to kickstart their acting careers

- Suhani Singh

Until June 2020, Prajakta Koli was best known as the funny woman behind MostlySane, one of the more popular YouTube channels in India, and an influencer who, as part of YouTube Originals Creators for Change, for which she was invited twice, met and spoke to Michelle Obama. Then came Khayali Pulao, a short in which Koli demonstrated that her thespian talent went beyond comedy. On November 20, Koli’s first big project, web series Mismatched, an adaptation of Sandhya Menon’s book When Dimple Met Rishi, released on Netflix. Currently, she is in Chandigarh shooting for her Bollywood debut, Jug Jug Jeeyo, a Dharma Production, also starring Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Neetu Singh, and Kiara Advani. “I’m 100 percent aware that I wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for my YouTube channel,” says Koli. “I can’t ever quit making videos.” That explains why Koli while shooting for Mismatched in Jodhpur, made trips to Mumbai and used her free time to continue uploading content on MostlySane. “I take pride in the fact that in over five and a half years I have never missed a video day,” she says.

Koli is just one of the many YouTube personalities now drawing attention from filmmakers for both OTT and films. YouTube singer Shirley Setia, who made her acting debut with Maska on Netflix, will soon be seen in the comedy Nikamma. Both YouTuber and actor Dolly Singh and comedian Varun Thakur will feature in Bhaag Beanie Bhaag (an upcoming Netflix series), while Bhuvan Bam of BB Ki Vines fame will be starring in and producing his own film, Dhindora.