Prajakta Koli: When I set out, asked God for 30,000 followers

Michelle Obama with Prajakta Koli

For Prajakta Koli, the biggest high of being part of Creators For Change was working with former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama. Every accolade that followed, including the Daytime Emmy nomination earlier this week, is "a happy bonus". Remembering shooting the documentary, Koli - who has 6.2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel - says, "We were shooting at a restaurant in Washington that Mr and Mrs Obama frequent. I was dazed when I met her. She is a hugger, and gave us such a big, warm hug when she walked in. All my nervous energy vanished. Talking to her was so easy; it felt like a bunch of girls chatting about things they are passionate about."

The documentary on girls' rights, made in collaboration with actor Liza Koshy and YouTuber Thembe Mahlaba, saw Koli interact with the students of Prerna Foundation in Lucknow to get a better perspective on the challenges of girls' education in smaller towns of India. "It was a hopeful story of women fighting against all odds. We got boys to discuss [the importance of] girls' education, and that angle gave it a beautiful touch." When exchanging notes with Koshy and Mahlaba on the show, Koli realised that challenges for women are uniform the world over. "Liza went to Vietnam, and Thembe, to Namibia, and we heard of similar struggles. On a gender level, we all resonated with these stories being told on screen."

The Internet sensation, who has a Netflix show behind her, admits that Obama's presence makes the docu-series a strong contender in the Outstanding Daytime Non-fiction Special category. "Hamara palda thoda bhari hai," she laughs, before adding, "In my heart, I am okay with just a nomination. I am a middle-class girl. When I set out, I told God, ‘Please give me 30,000 followers.' This is way beyond my expectations."

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