The curious case of Prajakta Koli

What is the biggest freedom and privilege we the scrollers on social media enjoy Itrsquos the freedom to judge the influencers We can like them hate them troll them talk smack about them or worship the ground they walk on mdash thatrsquos our prerogative If we are giving you the views we have the right to give our bindaas opinionOf course there are many who abuse that freedom and then those need to be reported to the cyber cell the police or be blocked forever But for the rest of us hating or loving the influencer is a daily sport And itrsquos that lovehate relationship I have with Prajakta KoliI remember vaguely the Koli of 2015 when she used to make comedy sketches and post on YouTube as MostlySane She would play characters lampooning different people in a family mdash mom dad bhai behen Some were funny She was palatableFan fests and all later she was the star of Netflixrsquos Mismatched in 2020 then she was on Time 100 Creatorrsquos list in 2025 then appointed as the first UNDP India Youth Climate Champion in January 2022 and also won an Emmy for the Creators for Change documentary focusing on girlsrsquo education And then she wrote a book mdash called Too Good to be True mdash and truly itrsquos not good But hey you canrsquot say she wasnrsquot trying lots of different stuffBut somehow the girl next door as she looks and feels I have had a hard time warming up to her I remember meeting Koli during a story I was doing on creators and their merchandise business and she had quipped that her sorted and sensible image was ldquoboringrdquo And thought she comes across as warm and straight talking she has a palpable air of a kind of defensiveness which could be misinterpreted as a chip on her shoulderThat could be the reason that even when I watch her usual content on social media which includes her dance reels I canrsquot get onboard with her Itrsquos as if she knows she annoys you and she is trying hard to not get bothered by it and be her fab self anywayBut I may be reading too much into it Recently I watched her interview with another social media enigma mdash Ranveer Allahbadia And somehow despite all my discernment I enjoyed listening to her She shared valuable and candid insight For example she said ldquoThe nicer you are the more you are mistaken the more you are taken for granted the more you are walked all over on You have to learn to loudly ask for what you wantrdquo Maybe itrsquos that attitude of hers that comes across as arrogance and then makes her unlikeable But now as she said that I quite liked it and her She makes senseOn marriage she says ldquoLove stops feeling like chaos when you marry your best friend There is no more anxiety about where he is All the overthinking just disappears I donrsquot have to explain my chaos to him He just gets it In the world of situationships and games stability is the most underrated feeling So donrsquot run away from commitment Waking up next to your best friend is not boring itrsquos the only thing that keeps you sanerdquo I liked that too Despite living in this world of social media she knows her priorities and is giving out a good message to young impressionable minds who follow her the ones who mistake anxiety for butterfliesMaybe itrsquos in the nature of being an influencer mdash someday you will be palatable and inspiring to all who follow you and someday they will cringe at your sexy dance reel After listening to Koli on the podcast I realised she knows all the trappings of fame mdash but she also knows where she comes from she spoke about her parents and the support they have given her and she has chosen a partner who helps her feel safe and loved This girl really doesnrsquot need us to like her because she seems like she likes herselfAs she says answering a question about a life skill she wishes everyone learns and I would like to quote her to end this column ldquoBeing kind to yourself When you shut the light at night the voice in your head needs to be an angel not a devilrdquo We agreeSee you next weekRanting and raving about all thatrsquos trending on social media Aastha Atray Banan is an author creator podcaster and the Editor of your favourite weekend read Sunday midday She posts at aasthaatray on InstagramSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper