One for the books

Right now, everybody's favourite content creator, Prajakta Koli, is in love with the idea of love and she wants the world to know

- Shraddha Chowdhary

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.