Shanaya Kapoor’s Student Of The Year takes a dark twist

Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year: After Dark is taking the popular franchise in a darker direction, with its newly released trailer featuring a mysterious death, twin sisters and a high-stakes school competition.

Starring Shanaya Kapoor in a double role, the upcoming series has sparked discussion among viewers, with several drawing comparisons to international teen dramas and survival thrillers.

Johar shared the official trailer on Instagram, describing a new chapter at St. Teresa Heritage School, where the closer characters get to the truth, the more dangerous their search becomes.

Unlike the earlier instalments, which focused on romance, glamour and campus rivalries, the new series combines school politics with murder, secrets and suspense. The change in tone has received mixed reactions, with some viewers welcoming the fresh approach while others have pointed to similarities with existing shows and films.

Some viewers compared the trailer to Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why, while others referenced the Indian supernatural thriller Paanch and the survival drama Squid Game. One viewer also noted similarities to the novel That Night by Niidhi Upadhyay. These are audience impressions rather than confirmed creative influences.

Directed by Reema Maya and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the series revolves around a murder investigation at the prestigious St. Teresa Heritage School. The story follows twin sisters Aayesha Malik and Aditi, both played by Kapoor.

Aayesha, a prominent student, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Believing that her sister’s death was not an accident, Aditi decides to investigate and enters the school’s fiercely contested Student of the Year competition.

As she navigates the institution’s social circles, rivalries and power struggles, Aditi attempts to uncover what happened to her sister. The investigation gradually raises questions about the people around Aayesha and the secrets hidden within the school.

The cast also includes Abhinav Singh, Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, Deeya Damani, Adi Malik, Sheeba Chaddha and Vivek Gomber.

Student Of The Year: After Dark is scheduled to premiere on JioHotstar on November 13. Kapoor’s double role places her at the centre of the franchise’s latest chapter, which moves away from its familiar glossy campus setting towards a suspense-driven storyline.

The new series arrives 14 years after the original Student Of The Year, released in 2012. Directed by Johar, the film introduced Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra to leading roles in Hindi cinema.

The franchise continued with Student Of The Year 2 in 2019, directed by Punit Malhotra and starring Tiger Shroff. The film marked the acting debuts of Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria, continuing the series’ focus on student rivalries, romance and competition.