Ayushi Gupta is thankful that she got to experience hostel life to the fullest through the Amazon Prime Video series Hostel Daze, where she plays Nabomita Bharadwaj. The Pune girl talked to us about playing a college-goer through four seasons of Hostel Daze and making the transition from a casting associate to an actor.

How would you describe your journey with Hostel Daze over the period of four seasons?

Ayushi Gupta: It comprises a lot of emotions to know that an audience could stay with you for that long. In a sense, they were also growing with us because Hostel Daze released every year. It forms a different bond and that feeling is very special.

I got the part in Hostel Daze within three-four months after moving from Pune to Bombay. It’s a show that has been there with me throughout my journey. I have done other projects in the meantime but it all started with Hostel Daze. It’s quite emotional for me.

In what ways do you think that Hostel Daze Season 4 is a step up from the previous seasons?

Ayushi Gupta: Season 4 is different in every way because the writers explored what happens in the fourth year — reality hits you hard. While you are in college, you’re always complaining about exams and all. But it is still a life where you get to do what you want to do. The pressures of the real world don’t really hit you.

I have done engineering and when the fourth year hits you, you suddenly become serious. You realise that the people you were with for four years will go their own way. The writers and directors have captured the essence of growing up really well.

Have you stayed in a hostel? Do you wish you had that experience in real life?

Ayushi Gupta: Unfortunately, not. I went to college in Pune where I come from. In Pune, you are not allowed to go to the hostel rooms if you’re not staying there. But we used to sneak into a hostel for a night or two. I got to experience hostel life for a brief time in real life but in Hostel Daze, I experienced it to the fullest. During the course of shooting, the cast members would often stay in each other’s rooms and became very good friends.

You have played Nabomita Bharadwaj for over four seasons. Does it get monotonous at any time?

Ayushi Gupta: No, it doesn’t at all. In the first season, you are just trying to know and understand the character. After four seasons, you feel that you know her, her feelings, her insecurities and how she would behave in certain situations. You start living the character and that’s a very interesting experience.

What kind of a bond do you share with your Hostel Daze co-actors?

Ayushi Gupta: We were shooting one season every year. We used to chill on and off the sets. We were staying in hotels. We had great fun shooting for the show. Sometimes, it felt like we were on paid vacations. As actors and characters, we would play off each other. It was a comfortable space.

You have also done Cubicles with The Viral Fever. How was it to work with TVF?

Ayushi Gupta: TVF is by far one of the leading content producers. In a way, they introduced web shows in India. While working with TVF, I realised that what sets them apart from the rest is the honesty and authenticity of their work.

They’re not trying to create an unreal world for you. In all their shows, they have characters that you and I know or can relate to. In whatever they do they don’t try to create a make-believe world. In Hostel Daze as well, how students live in hostels is shown on screen. They give so much importance to writing as well as nurturing writers.

You are an actor of the digital era where there’s a plethora of new faces and standing out is a big challenge. Does that ever play on your mind?

Ayushi Gupta: It does play on your mind and makes you anxious. You keep feeling whether you should be doing more. With time, the answer to that question has settled in. I remind myself about why I am here. It is because I love acting. I love playing new characters and I enjoy the process so much.

At the end of the day, there are so many things that are out of my control. I just have to put my head down, love what I do and keep working hard. And I continue to do that. That’s how I have made peace with everything.

Social media has become a big part of an actor’s life. Is your social media account an extension of your personality or merely a professional tool?

Ayushi Gupta: My social media account is an extension of my personality. I try to post as much as I can in a manner that is most authentic to me. That is my approach to social media.

You have done many sketches on YouTube. Did the instant visibility go to your head at any point?

Ayushi Gupta: I don’t think it has happened to me because the first season of Hostel Daze came out one and a half years after we shot it. In the meantime, I saw so many people who got instant popularity and I saw how it affected them. It led to an obsession with social media. I think at some point, you have to realise that it is a virtual world. It is not really who you are.

Today you are famous but tomorrow you might not be. You can’t get attached to that instant fame. I am very close to my family and friends who have been my friends since school. If at all popularity ever goes to my head, I have these people to give me a strong reality check. My close relationships are very important to me.

You have been a casting associate too. When did the switch to acting happen? How does it help when you’re an actor now or auditioning?

Ayushi Gupta: I always wanted to become an actor and that’s why I came to Bombay. But I didn’t know anyone in the city and I didn’t have anything to do during the day. I am someone who has often had busy days. I played national-level basketball when I was in school. I used to teach science in college.

So, for me, it was like ‘I don’t know anybody and I have so much to learn’. I needed to find some sort of balance in life and get out to do something every single day. That’s how casting happened. It was a great space for me to learn a lot because I got to interact with so many good actors. Casting really helped me grow in the field I wanted to grow in.

Sometimes I still get anxious before an audition. But like I said, there’s a lot that is not under my control. I just give my best. Being a casting associate, I realised that you don’t have to take rejections personally because a role goes to someone because of so many factors. It took that pressure off my head.