27 minutes agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari
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Director- Meera Sengupta
Starcast- Shanaya Kapoor, Sheeba Chaddha, Harsh Chhaya, Anushree Shukla, Divik Sharma
Episode- 6
Rating- 3.5/5 stars
Till now in Dharma Productions’ ‘Student of the Year’, the noise of college fun, friendship, love and competition was heard. But this time there is a secret buried in the corridors of the same St. Teresa’s College, in the search of which every face becomes suspicious and every relationship becomes a question. This new incarnation of the franchise leaves the syrup of glamor and serves the bitter taste of suspense and murder mystery. Let us know how the series is-
Story: One death, two sisters and the entire college under suspicion
The story begins with the suspicious death of Ayesha Malik (Shanaya Kapoor), a popular student of St. Teresa’s College. His twin sister Aditi (Shanaya Kapoor) reaches the same college to know the truth behind this death. Here he finds a web of secrets, ambitions and a dangerous secret competition, in which every character has his own story and his own motive. As the investigation progresses, the needle of suspicion keeps turning and the audience also starts racking their brains in search of the murderer.
Acting: Shanaya’s biggest win
The strongest aspect of the series is Shanaya Kapoor. In the double role, he has tried well to show the difference in personality of Ayesha and Aditi. Be it Ayesha’s glamorous, confident and carefree style or Aditi’s passion to reach the truth after losing her sister, Shanaya gives a distinct identity to both the characters. His performance especially in emotional scenes impresses. Divik Sharma, Abhinav Singh, Manya Grover, Dia Damini and Adi Malik have also done justice to their characters. Whereas actors like Sheeba Chaddha, Neeraj Kabi and Vivek Gomber give the necessary seriousness to the story.
Direction and technical aspects: The dark game behind the shining campus
Director Reema Sengupta has deviated from the established identity of the franchise and transformed it into a dark thriller. His visual treatment goes with the mood of the story. On one side are luxurious colleges, parties and glittering world, on the other side are the fears, insecurities and ambitions growing within the characters. The cinematography and production design evoke this paradox beautifully. The best thing about the screenplay is that the secrets are not revealed all at once, rather a new layer of suspicion is added with each episode. However, the pace of the story slows down a bit in the third and fourth episodes. Some subplots seem stretched and some revelations do not generate the expected thrill.
Music: There is a color of mystery in the tunes too
The ‘Student of the Year’ franchise has also been known for its chartbuster songs, but the style of music has changed in ‘After Dark’. ‘Whatever is going to happen will happen’ represents this new mood. This track by Char Deewari and Samad Khan has an experimental style different from the traditional Bollywood songs. The background score increases the tension in the suspenseful scenes. The purpose of music here is less to make people dance and more to create restlessness.
Final Verdict: New color of the franchise, an experiment worth watching
‘Student of the Year: After Dark’ shows the courage to step out of its old identity. The glamor of college is still there, but the secrets hidden behind it, the complications of relationships and the murder mystery give a new dimension to the story. Shanaya Kapoor’s double role is the biggest achievement of this experiment. The dull screenplay at places and predictable twists take away from the thrill, but overall it’s an interesting and quirky extension of the franchise. If you like mystery and thriller with campus drama, this can be given a place in the watchlist.
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