Much before Srishti Shrivastava’s feisty performances in Shoojit Sircar’s feature film Gulabo Sitabo and the Prime Video film Maja Ma, she had created an audience through her sketch videos and funny series on Girliyapa.
Just like her, Ahsaas Channa rose to fame through her youth web shows such as Girls Hostel, Kota Factory and Hostel Daze. The former child actor who featured in Vaastu Shastra, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Phoonk and My Friend Ganesha, is also a social media influencer with 3.5M followers on Instagram.
The two popular actresses spoke to The Telegraph Online on how hostel life shapes an individual, their growth as a performer and as individuals over the three seasons of Girls Hostel (streaming on Sony LIV) and dealing with rejection.
The Telegraph Online: Girls Hostel 3.0 has come a long way…
Ahsaas Channa: Yes, the show has matured. Everyone who was trying to find their purpose and voice in the earlier seasons is fighting for it now. Everyone’s character goes through a dilemma.
Srishti Shrivastava: In today’s world, we meet a lot of people who are social media influencers or people who try to come out of the closet, so we have introduced new characters and explored new topics.
Have you had any experience of living in a hostel?
Srishti Shrivastava: I stayed for a brief period during a fest where around 50 to 60 of us were up the whole night, doing some preparation or the other for the fest. That was the first time I saw three people washing their hair together, which is so similar to the show! (Smiles)
Ahsaas Channa: I have no such experience. I have lived my hostel life through the show. Hostel life shapes a person for the better and I feel whoever comes out of a hostel is more mature, sorted and independent.
Girls Hostel started in 2018. How have you grown as an actor and an individual through the seasons?
Ahsaas Channa: All of us were young when the show started, so we have grown together. We saw each other’s journeys. We love our bond. Girls Hostel was my first show, so my adulting happened during it. Through the pandemic, I learnt not to take things for granted and to value life more.
Srishti Shrivastava: My life has changed completely. I was going through a personal situation during the pandemic. Ahsaas has seen me through it. It was tough. It was 2022 when things started to fall into place, and I realised that I need to take care of myself. I started therapy, began to write down my daily goals and to focus on my goals. I realised the importance of friends and family more. I started working out more. I started to feel and look different. I started to enjoy driving. Yeah, all good changes. (Smiles)
As young actors, you audition a lot but not everything turns into projects. How do you condition yourself to accept it on a regular basis and move on?
Srishti Shrivastava: We don’t belong to the industry; it’s our craft that will make us go ahead. Ahsaas is doing a thousand things, so her craft is getting better. I make sure I read books and am on the stage to keep my machinery oiled. I used to dread auditions but now I have reached a stage where if I have a skill, I will crack something. I feel stronger that if my craft is great, I don’t have to feel insecure to act with Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan or with Madhuri (Dixit) ma’am or somebody like Gajraj Rao.
Ahsaas Channa: I don’t take rejections very well when I have my hopes on, but rejections are part of an actor’s life.
Srishti Shrivastava: I don’t spend too much time feeling bad now because most of the time it’s because of some commercial aspect or you don’t look the part.
With TVF and Girliyapa web shows, you both have created a niche among the young audience…
Ahsaas Channa: It depends on the kind of projects we do and the social media content we post. Young people watch us, so they relate but I don’t want to do similar work.
Srishti Shrivastava: It’s not a choice. We did what we got so that we could get cast for other work. I want to become a heroine. Bollywood is in my bones and lungs. I want my audience who has loved me as Guddo (Gulabo Sitabo), Tara Patel (Maja Ma) and Anandi Joshi (Girls Hostel 3.0) to see me from a wider perspective. My ultimate dream is to feature in films. Once we sat in the van and discussed that we are here to become Bollywood heroines, we are doing everything for it.
Having a set of good friends from the same profession is important for a better perspective at work. What do you think?
Ahsaas Channa: Honestly, I don’t have too many friends from the industry except three. Srishti is one of the three friends. One needs to be lucky to have a friend who wouldn’t manipulate to not achieve what they want to achieve. Srishti tells me what she is doing. It’s not that we meet or talk every day but when we do, we talk our hearts out. We root and cheer for each other.
Srishti Shrivastava: We got lucky that we have connected beautifully. We have no inhibitions, so we can talk about our successes as well as our failures and how we are trying to figure out our journeys.