‘Engga Hostel’ director Sathish instructed actors not to watch original, Hindi version ‘Hostel Daze’

‘Hostel Daze’, the much-loved Hindi comedy-drama series, now has a Tamil version premiering this week on Prime Video

Hyderabad: ‘Hostel Daze’, the much-loved Hindi comedy-drama series, now has a Tamil version premiering this week on Prime Video, called ‘Engga Hostel’.

Created by TVF, and directed by Sathish Chandrasekaran, the series captures the fun and relatable situations as the students struggle with identity, friendship, love, life, and academics in the first year of their hostel life.

Wanting a more genuine and natural portrayal from all the actors, director Sathish Chandrasekaran strictly instructed all of them to not watch the Hindi version of the series.

Samyuktha Vishwanathan, who plays the role of Ahaana, divulged, “I had already watched a few episodes by the time I got to know of the director’s rule of not watching the Hindi version. I believe Ahaana’s character is quite different from the original, and her role in the girl’s hostel is more expanded, along with her storyline. I feel it was challenging to play this character but I absolutely enjoyed taking it up.”

Sacchin Nachiappan, playing the role of Ajay, revealed, “The director had strict instructions for us to not watch the Hindi version of ‘Hostel Daze’. In the beginning, we were told to simply do our own thing and see how we develop into the character, surely yet gradually fitting into the screenplay.”

The series focuses on the relatable and curious lives of six engineering students. It’s the story of these youngsters, who step into a Tamil Nadu hostel as a bundle of nerves, carrying only their dreams, and brimming with hope, and excitement; and eventually leave with undying bonds that are forged in the dorms of friendship, romance, peep pressure, squabbles, and examinations in that very hostel.

Capturing the camaraderie, moments of hilarity, excitement of romantic relationships, and pressure of exams, ‘Engga Hostel’ is a peek into hostel life for the audiences, and a nostalgic trip down the memory lane for some. The comedy-drama features Sacchin Nachiappan, Avinaash Ramesh, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Saranya Ravichandran, Goutham Raj, and Dravid Selvam as the group of college friends. ‘Engga Hostel’ will stream in India and across 240 countries and territories starting Friday, January 27.