# Girls Hostel
**Girls Hostel** is an Indian comedy-drama web series about four young women from different backgrounds who become unlikely friends while living in the hostel of SVM Dental College. Created by Shreyasi Sharma for the TVF unit Girliyapa, it premiered on SonyLIV on 8 December 2018 and ran for three seasons and 15 episodes through 25 November 2022.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/blogs/indian-shows-youtube-to-ott) The series is rated U/A 16+ and is available in Hindi.[2](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81113886)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by / directed by | Shreyasi Sharma; Hanish D Kalia (season 1 also credited to Chaitanya Kumbhakonum)[3](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/girls-hostel-season-1-web-series-104804) |
| Setting | The girls' hostel of SVM Dental College[4](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/girls-hostel/umc.cmc.1nrs79ndrdh70m0gt98auvqgq) |
| IMDb rating | 7.7/10 from about 4,400 user ratings[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9401936/ratings/) |
| Streaming | SonyLIV, Netflix, and Airtel Xstream[6](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/shows/girls-hostel-8309.html) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and origin
The series follows Richa, Jo, Zahira, and Mili, students negotiating friendships and rivalries around a dental-college hostel. Overbearing parents, a difficult warden, and battles within the hostel supply the early comic energy, and the four leads are written with distinct personalities and conflicting interests rather than as an uncomplicated sisterhood.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/blogs/indian-shows-youtube-to-ott) The first episode, "The Bra Chor", introduces Richa on her first day at the hostel, where she meets the innocent Mili and the ruling seniors Jo and Zahira.[4](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/girls-hostel/umc.cmc.1nrs79ndrdh70m0gt98auvqgq)
Origin. Shreyasi Sharma, the creative head of TVF's YouTube channel Girliyapa, wrote a short story in 2015 titled "Bitches of the 90s", which became the basis for the show. She described the intent as depicting women whose bonds are not forged on the basis of "the men we have in our lives", and noted that the writing challenge was to make everyday, low-stakes hostel drama engaging.[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/magazine/leisure/story/20221031-web-series-the-friends-we-need-2288138-2022-10-21) The series was launched in collaboration with Whisper as part of Girliyapa's female-centric slate.[8](https://communicationcrafts.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Indian_ott_report2019.pdf)
### Cast and characters
- Ahsaas Channa as Richa
- Srishti Shrivastava as Anandi Joshi, known as Jo
- [Parul Gulati](https://www.edgepedia.org/parul-gulati) as Zahira Ali
- Simran Natekar as Mili
- Shreya Mehta as Ramya Mantri
- Trupti Khamkar as the Warden
- Gagan Arora as Aarav
- Khushbu Baid as Palak
- Jayati Bhatia as Dr. Sarla Desai
Zahira is written as a traditional Muslim girl who finds it difficult to fit in with her more liberal housemates, and Jo is a bright, ambitious student who aspires to be an entrepreneur.[9](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/girls-hostel) In season 2, Richa and Aarav's romance continues while Ramya Mantri, described by one review as the "resident evil of the college", drives much of the conflict.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/Feb/23/girls-hostel-20-web-series-review-a-solid-follow-up-to-a-relatable-series-22978.html)
### Seasons and release
**Season 1** arrived on Girliyapa's YouTube channel in December 2018, with five episodes released between 8 December 2018 and 1 March 2019; the series then continued on SonyLIV.[1](https://b4uentertainment.com/blogs/indian-shows-youtube-to-ott)
**Season 2**, titled *Girls Hostel 2.0*, premiered on SonyLIV on 19 February 2021 with five episodes released the same day. It moves past the medical-versus-dental rivalry into campus politics: the girls organize a fair election to demand their rights and rally around Zahira so that Ramya and the college management do not have an easy time. The season also takes up issues including peeping toms, stalkers, rigged elections, and lack of water supply.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/Feb/23/girls-hostel-20-web-series-review-a-solid-follow-up-to-a-relatable-series-22978.html)**Season 3** premiered on 25 November 2022, again with five episodes released together, titled "Expectations", "Dilemma", "Hustle", "Frenemies", and "Explosion". Written by Anuya Jakatdar, Alka Shukla, and Shreyasi Sharma, it introduces new characters and situations described as relevant and relatable in today's world.[11](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/november/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-11-25.pdf) • [12](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/girls-hostel/seriesreview/81083278.cms)
## Reception
The series holds a 7.7/10 rating on IMDb from about 4,400 user ratings, with an unweighted mean of 8.5; per-episode ratings run from 7.6 to 8.8 in seasons 1 and 2 but fall to between 4.5 and 5.4 in season 3.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9401936/ratings/) Critics gave season 1 and season 2 ratings of 3.5 out of 5 and season 3 a 3.0, with the Times of India noting that season 2 tackles issues from water-crisis management to eve-teasing in a lighter manner.[12](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/girls-hostel/seriesreview/81083278.cms) A Cinema Express review of season 2 called it a solid follow-up that avoids cliched "catfights" and "boy troubles", praising conversations in which two women speak about their wants without restraint.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/Feb/23/girls-hostel-20-web-series-review-a-solid-follow-up-to-a-relatable-series-22978.html)
The show is frequently cited in surveys of Indian female-friendship web series, alongside *The Trip*, *PA-Gals*, and *Adulting*, and a 2022 media study noted TVF's *Girls Hostel* as part of the small share of online content dealing with women-centric themes without overt sexualisation.[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/magazine/leisure/story/20221031-web-series-the-friends-we-need-2288138-2022-10-21) • [13](https://inbreakthrough.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PH_Report_Final.pdf)
## Other uses of the title
Two other Indian productions share the name. A Marathi-language horror film titled *Girls Hostel*, directed by Amol Bidkar and produced by Sunil Bhosle for Someel Creations, was released on 10 July 2017; its story concerns a sudden death in a Mumbai girls' hostel that gives rise to fear of the unknown and paranormal incidents.[14](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/tv-shows/girls-hostel) A Hindi-language horror drama series also titled *Girls Hostel*, directed by Sachin Gotad and starring Rachana Mistry as Sara and Sushma Kolhe as Tanvi, was released on ZEE5 on 27 June 2023; it follows a ghastly incident at a girls' hostel in Mumbai that changes the lives of Sara and her friends.[15](https://www.zee5.com/tv-shows/details/girls-hostel/0-6-4z5387300) The term itself also refers broadly to residential accommodation for female students, a market served by large numbers of listed hostels in cities such as [Islamabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/islamabad), Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi.[16](https://houstel.pk/pakistan/islamabad/girls-hostels) • [17](https://hostel360.in/hostels/city/mumbai?gender=female)
## References
1. [Indian Shows That Went From YouTube To Major OTT Platforms, B4U Entertainment](https://b4uentertainment.com/blogs/indian-shows-youtube-to-ott)
2. [Girls Hostel, Netflix India](https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81113886)
3. [Girls Hostel Season 1 Web Series, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/girls-hostel-season-1-web-series-104804)
4. [Girls Hostel, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/show/girls-hostel/umc.cmc.1nrs79ndrdh70m0gt98auvqgq)
5. [Girls Hostel (TV Series 2018– ) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9401936/ratings/)
6. [Watch Girls Hostel Web Series Online, Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/shows/girls-hostel-8309.html)
7. [Web series: The friends we need, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/magazine/leisure/story/20221031-web-series-the-friends-we-need-2288138-2022-10-21)
8. [Indian OTT Report 2019, Communication Crafts](https://communicationcrafts.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Indian_ott_report2019.pdf)
9. [Girls Hostel: Plot, Cast, Reviews and More, Tring](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/girls-hostel)
10. [Girls Hostel 2.0 Web Series Review, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/Feb/23/girls-hostel-20-web-series-review-a-solid-follow-up-to-a-relatable-series-22978.html)
11. [The Daily Pioneer, Vijayawada edition, 25 November 2022](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/november/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-11-25.pdf)
12. [Girls Hostel Web Series Review, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/girls-hostel/seriesreview/81083278.cms)
13. [PH Report, Breakthrough](https://inbreakthrough.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PH_Report_Final.pdf)
14. [Girls Hostel (2017), Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/tv-shows/girls-hostel)
15. [Girls Hostel (2023), ZEE5](https://www.zee5.com/tv-shows/details/girls-hostel/0-6-4z5387300)
16. [Verified Girls Hostels Islamabad, Houstel](https://houstel.pk/pakistan/islamabad/girls-hostels)
17. [Girls Hostels in Mumbai, Hostel360](https://hostel360.in/hostels/city/mumbai?gender=female)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2003 to 2020*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license