The YOUNG and the RESTLESS

Netflix’s Mismatched stars Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf are shaking up the established order with their candour and courage

- Sonali Velinker Kamat

THE PHRASE phata poster nikla hero plays on loop in my head, along with a recurring image of Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli breaking through to establish a new order. For members of a certain generation, the fact that Prajakta is a massive social media star means very little. Rohit, on the other hand, represents something that is easier to understand across demographics — at first glance, he’s the quintessential chocolate boy. Both millennial stars feature in a new Netflix series, Mismatched, scripted to appeal to a predominantly young adult audience. If it all sounds a bit out of your wheelhouse, you might miss what is truly significant: an unofficial changing of the guard.

What was planned as an hour-long interaction runs into two riotous hours. Our conversation is peppered with words like ‘bro’ and ‘sched,’ terms like ‘DMs’ and ‘trolls’ and frequent, loud laughter. Simultaneously, subjects like body shaming, abuse and depression aren’t glossed over in some perfunctory manner. This is a serious, meaningful exchange and, as I say goodbye, it dawns on me. Prajakta and Rohit don’t have the deliberate veneer that so many other public figures have used to shield themselves over the years. For over two decades, I have listened to several ‘heartfelt’ stories, knowing that an elaborate scaffolding of public relations and image management holds their construction together.