'SOTY: After Dark' review: Shanaya Kapoor leads exhausting mystery
What's the story
Dharmatic Entertainment's new Hindi series, Student of the Year: After Dark, is the third installment in the young-adult franchise. Starring Shanaya Kapoor in dual roles, it's directed by Reema Maya and co-stars Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, and Abhinav Singh. Flimsy, undercooked, and painfully devoid of logic, SOTY: After Dark wastes its promising premise and tests your patience across six episodes.
Plot
YA franchise takes a dark, sinister turn
Released on JioHotstar on Friday, SOTY: After Dark introduces a new narrative at the elite St. Teresa's College.
After Ayesha (Kapoor) dies, seemingly due to an accidental drowning, her twin sister, Aditi, enrolls at the school to investigate her sudden death.
Convinced that Ayesha was murdered, she immediately suspects Ayesha's roommate Babydoll, her boyfriend Sid, and her friends, Rehaan and Tara.
#1
The gamble does not pay off
The SOTY franchise began with Karan Johar's 2012 film Student of the Year.
It was far from groundbreaking, but at least offered frothy fun and a memorable, foot-tapping soundtrack.
The series took a nosedive with the second part, and now, the attempt to reinvent it through a major genre shift has proved a complete failure.
Yet another case of all gloss, no soul.
#2
Where are the thrills?
SOTY: After Dark is designed as a thrilling mystery, but delivers minimal thrills.
After a promising opening episode, the show quickly loses steam and goes haywire with endless subplots.
It needed to be significantly crisper, but instead wastes precious runtime, veering off in unexpected, unnecessary directions.
Plus, it's difficult to take anything seriously when characters are named Momo and Babydoll.
#3
Show fails to draw us in
The project offers strong cinematography and production design, but its haphazard, weak writing never lets the story soar.
Aditi's endless monologues hamper the storytelling, while plot developments are repeatedly spelled out through distracting intertitles.
Moreover, while Kapoor is watchable in her few scenes as Ayesha, she needed to display far more restraint as Aditi.
A stronger lead actor could have turned things around.
#4
No memorable supporting characters
Maya's world is populated by more annoying characters than likable ones, and everyone is reduced to a familiar trope.
The dumb, frivolous best friend, the perfect, rich boyfriend, the "poor" outsider—you name it, and you'll find a character who fits the type.
With shallow characters, a superficial approach, and overly convenient resolutions, SOTY: After Dark fails to invite you into its world.
#5
Heavy 'Squid Game' hangover at work
As Aditi spends time at St. Teresa's, she becomes embroiled in the mysterious, life-changing Student of the Year competition.
The contest's tasks are unabashedly influenced by Squid Game, and the show barely makes an effort to inject thrills.
Eventually, in the final episode, the killer's reveal is surprising, but we are put through the wringer before reaching the climax.
#6
Occasionally becomes interesting, but loses momentum soon after
Sheeba Chadha and Neeraj Kabi, who play brief but important roles, seem to be the only actors who got the memo.
Additionally, there are occasional flashes of an engaging storyline, but Maya settles for surface-level treatment.
For instance, the subplot about Ayesha and Aditi's past as child actors remains underdeveloped.
The series also wastes the opportunity to explore how grief shapes us.
Verdict
Not the weekend watch you're looking for; 1.5/5 stars
The series spans six episodes but feels much longer because scenes drag on forever.
Aditi's sudden epiphanies, shallow supporting characters, and insubstantial dialogue undercut the story's tension.
SOTY: After Dark wants you to turn off your brain, almost as if the writing team gave up halfway through the project.
An exhausting and forgettable watch.
1.5/5 stars.