Doha, Qatar: YouTuber Prajakta Koli, who is among India’s most-loved content creators, voiced her surprise at the impact that K-drama and other foreign language films are having in the country. Advancement in technology and the expansion of multiple OTT platforms have enabled this shift, ensuring that language is no longer a barrier to content consumption.
The author-actor was in Doha for Web Summit Qatar 2026, where she spoke about the future of content creation and breaking the platform mould alongside other like-minded experts.
During a sit-down interview with The Peninsula at the summit, Prajakta expressed her excitement at being in Doha, having conversations with tech experts who have the skills and the roadmap to help content creators like her take their dreams to the next level. “I know how content creators are looking at AI, but I want to see how tech is looking at AI and creators,” said Prajakta, who is also a TIME100 Creators honoree.
She further elaborated on the growth of intercultural content, adding that authenticity can help resonate content with a global audience. She said, “I was stunned what K-dramas were doing in India. Similarly, while driving down to work, I noticed a huge banner for a Spanish movie in Mumbai. The growth of technology and different platforms has opened up the entertainment market like never before.”
Starting off as a radio intern in 2015, Prajakta quickly realized that she was not cut for the job and wanted to do something different professionally. “I had prepped to be a radio jockey and when I became one, I found that I was not good at it. Creating content came as a lifesaver and it gave me a sense of power doing the job – where you take ownership for all the wins and all the losses,” she added. A few years into that, she got an auditioning call for her widely-popular Netflix series Mismatched that became a launching pad for her. “When the director called me for audition, I couldn’t believe that they were calling me for such an important role,” said the Mumbai-based actor who has not looked back since then.
Most recently seen in regional-language film Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, which was released in India on January 1, 2026, Prajakta is now looking forward to the announcement of season 4 of her series Mismatched. The past year was also special, as her book Too Good To Be True was published by HarperCollins.
She says her career trajectory was not planned at all, adding that things just worked out as she held on to opportunities that came her way. While most opportunities worked out, she says some others didn’t - but they became life lessons.
Prajakta is also one of the first UNDP India youth climate champion, which she says has made her a lot more aware. “When UNDP approached me, I asked them why would they want to work with me? I had worked on girl’s education, mental health and body positivity, but never about climate action. They wanted to tap in to my audience reach, which was like a fair enough deal for me. I took it up and sat down learning concepts and breaking them down in simpler bite-size conversations for my audience,” she told The Peninsula.
Any advice for content creators? Prajakta says Indian content creators are sitting on a gold mine of opportunities, given how huge the market is. She adds: “Yes, one can argue that there’s a lot of competition and so much clutter, but the only way to achieve something is to begin and keep doing it consistently. It may look like fun, but the job involves a lot of hard work. But it’s very, very doable.”
With over 16Mn followers to her MostlySane social media handles on Instagram and YouTube, Prajakta has a strong online community that she says doesn’t mince words. At the beginning of her career, they have called her out when she sounded insensitive or wrong and those have become lessons for her. “Whenever they have genuinely criticized, I have taken those as lessons and worked upon myself to be better and it has helped me grow. Yes, there is a section of community that thrives on being negative and I have been doing this long enough to know that it really isn’t my labour to make them happy. I would rather work for the bigger bunch of people who are loud and supporting me for the things that I am doing rather than worry about the other side,” she said.
Beyond numbers and followers, she concludes by saying that success for her is about the well-being of her loved ones. “Since that means that I get to be in a happy place, where I get to wake up every day and do a job that I don’t hate one bit. I could be exhausted, but I will get to work and still have that endorphins in my system to get up and perform it to an audience who is so loudly cheerful and supportive,” she adds.
