Mumbai: The murder mystery version of Student of the Year has received mixed reactions from viewers. Those who didn’t enjoy SOTY: After Dark found the plot weak, made comparisons to a poor man’s Squid Game. Shanaya Kapoor’s acting has also divided viewers, and the twisted ending has left many wondering what exactly happened.
Student of the Year: After Dark, directed by Reema Maya, released on JioHotstar Friday. The six-episode series returns to St Teresa’s, the school from Karan Johar’s Student of the Year films, but this time there’s a murder. Kapoor plays twin sisters Aayesha and Aditi Malik. When Aayesha’s body is found in a frozen lake, Aditi enrols at the school to find out what happened. The rest of the cast includes Manya Grover, Divik Sharma, Abhinav Singh, Deeya Damini and Sheeba Chaddha.
Hot mess of SOTY murder mystery
One X user called the show “surprisingly very enjoyable”. When someone asked if they were joking, they replied, “It’s very Riverdale-core”.
Riverdale isn’t the only show viewers have been reminded of. On Reddit, someone who binged the series found bits of Pretty Little Liars, Elite and Squid Game in it.
For one X user, the last comparison wasn’t a compliment.
“Bro this sasta squidgame show makes zero sense.”
Another viewer also thought the plot was familiar, but enjoyed the series anyway.
“Student of the year after dark was surprisingly good? I liked it, its just the plot was v similar to different shows,” the X user wrote, giving it 3.5/5.
One Reddit user said they were glad someone had made another Indian high-school drama.
“I’m glad that someone is trying to make highschool dramas we don’t get much of those here,” the user wrote.
But the writing hasn’t impressed everyone. A Reddit user found the script and dialogues “corny af”. Another was irritated by the narration and couldn’t get through the first episode.
The games, which are an important part of the competition at St Teresa’s, were also mocked. One viewer on Reddit thought they were lazily put together.
The change from the original Student of the Year films has worked for at least one Instagram reviewer. She was thrilled to be watching a murder mystery instead of the usual romance and glamour, and particularly liked Kapoor playing two characters.
“Shanaya Kapoor is right now that cool girl of Bollywood,” she said.
The reviewer hadn’t finished the series when she posted her reel, but was already enjoying it.
An X user who called the series “a good binge” also liked Kapoor’s performance. They thought she had done well for a newcomer, although her dialogue delivery needed work. They praised the supporting cast too.
An X user thought the makers had “the potential to make something good but messed it up”. Kapoor was average, the user felt, and her “childish intro” had made matters worse.
“Bruh soty after dark was such a hot mess,” another X user wrote. The pacing and world-building hadn’t worked for them, and neither had Kapoor’s dialogue delivery. Baby Doll was the only character they liked.
One viewer went as far as calling it the “worst series ever”. The X user also questioned why the industry continued giving big projects to star kids.
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The last two episodes worked better for some viewers. The Reddit user who had criticised the games thought those episodes were somewhat better than the rest.
“LOVED the last episode! What a twist,” another Reddit user wrote.
The same X user who gave the series 3.5/5 was less concerned with the twist than how sad the ending was.
“THE ENDING WAS SO SAD THO,” the user wrote.
On Reddit, someone called it “bittersweet”, giving the series 8/10. Another viewer wasn’t sure whether the ending was meant to set up a second season.
“Even the ending left me confused if it was going for a s2 or it ended,” the user wrote.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)