Prajakta Koli And Mithila Palkar On Taking Over Netflix And Breaking Into Bollywood

It's an exciting time for Mithila Palkar and Prajakta Koli. The two digital stars are coming off of their respective Netflix releases, Tribhanga and Mismatched, and are busy shooting their next projects. On our new show Creators Crossing, we spoke to them about taking over Netflix, Prajakta's upcoming Bollywood debut with Jug Jugg Jeeyo and what lies ahead.

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The both of you have a massive following through creating content on YouTube before transitioning to acting. Most recently you've both had big releases on Netflix. So is 'Netflix famous' different from 'YouTube-famous'?

Prajakta: I don't know that yet, honestly. I feel like it's too soon. I think Mithila would know better because she's done much more work on Netflix. Also Mismatched is a show that fits in very well with the target audience that I have on YouTube. It's the same target audience I'm making content for and that have been regularly interacting with for the past five years. So I honestly did not look at it like that, but maybe I'll keep an eye out for if it is any different.

Mithila: Yeah, it's an interesting question actually, because you'll always have your audience spread over all your social media and it's always going to overlap. Little Things was lifted from YouTube and it's now a Netflix original, but I think when that happened it was just unfathomable that at the click of a button you'd get to be in so many countries. And we do get messages from all over the world. It's been amazing. 

Prajakta, Jug Jugg Jeeyo is your big Bollywood debut in a Dharma film across stars like Varun Dhawan and Anil Kapoor. I'm assuming you've had big film offers before, so what was it about this film that made you feel it was the right project?

Prajakta: Honestly, I've had a couple of opportunities that came my way before Jug Jugg, but for some reason, I would read the role and think, 'Maybe I'll work a little more before I reach a point where I'll get something a little better than this.' I never woke up thinking that I'm doing everything that I'm doing just so I get a Bollywood film, but I knew that somewhere I wanted to explore that. I've always been a fan, I enjoy acting and I love being on a set. So when Jug Jugg came my way, I was like 'Oh my god, yes!' Although the other offers were very very tempting, I was so glad I didn't give in to those and waited it out till something great like this came my way. 

 You've both worked on massive projects. As actors, is the downside of those that you have so little control over the end product and what the final thing looks like, despite giving so much to those characters? Is that ever frustrating?

Mithila: It's never been frustrating for me because I feel like you're adding to the end product. If you've not done your best, then you'll probably feel bad that you're not doing the best job that you're capable of.

Prajakta: Everyone who's there knows their job well, and are very good at what they do. Like Mithila said, the only thing you have to do is be good at what you've been hired for, and that's about it. Honestly, I feel like it's easier that way. 

Mithila: Absolutely, so you're not bearing the burden of everything. That's why also I enjoy working on OTT so much more, because once it's out there, you're not thinking of 'paisa kitna banaya, box office me kitna mila…' As actors, all you can do is just contribute to making the product the best it can be.