Prajakta Koli has steadily expanded her world beyond YouTube — from writing a book and scripts to making her debut in Marathi films, web shows, and Hindi movies. She credits OTT platforms for making the jump between mediums feel natural. “It’s such a beautiful time to be an artiste in a country especially at our age because suddenly those guardrails are really low,” she says, adding, “There’s a whole pool of content [to explore]. And suddenly the agency is with the audience.”

Koli, now firmly an actor as well, says films are a crucial part of that bigger journey. “It’s a very important part of the whole picture.” Her debut in Marathi cinema — her mother tongue — comes as no surprise. “My Marathi movie released on January 1, titled Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam. It’s a musical and my first,” she adds of the film, which also stars Amey Wagh, Siddharth Chandekar, and Kshitee Jog.