The world of St Teresa Heritage School takes a darker turn as secrets, rivalry and danger take centre stage in the new series Student Of The Year – After Dark.
The trailer introduces Aayesha Malik (Shanaya Kapoor), the popular queen bee of St Teresa Heritage School, whose death sets the story in motion. Her twin sister Aditi, also played by Shanaya, refuses to believe that Aayesha’s death was accidental. Determined to find out what happened, Aditi enters the school and joins its fiercely competitive Student of the Year contest.
As she navigates the school, Aditi discovers that Aayesha’s closest circle was also filled with rivals. Her search takes her through a world of ambition, friendships, and personal conflicts, as several students hide their own secrets. She must figure out whom she can trust while trying to piece together what happened to her sister.
Shanaya Kapoor plays both Aayesha and Aditi in the series. Speaking about the experience, she described portraying the sisters as one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of her acting career.
She said, “While the two sisters may look alike, they couldn’t be more different in their personalities and the choices they make. Ayesha’s mysterious death sets the story in motion, while Aditi’s search for the truth unravels a world where appearances can be deceptive and even the closest relationships hold secrets. What appealed to me the most about Student of the Year: After Dark is how it takes a much-loved franchise into an unexpected and new territory, where the stakes go far beyond competition and winning a title. It’s this fresh and intriguing take on a familiar world that made the experience so exciting for me.”
Karan Johar, Reema Maya On The Series
Sharing the trailer, Karan Johar wrote, “A whole new era dawns upon St. Teresa Heritage School and the closer you get to the truth, the deadlier it gets.”
Director Reema Maya said, “Student Of The Year – After Dark is grit, angst and heart. It is for the youth of now. A popular franchise reimagined for current times. The trailer is a glimpse into the new world we have created. There is so much more in store! I wanted to explore the relentless competition that our youth find themselves grappling with. What happens when the need to succeed becomes all-consuming – destroying friendships and even oneself? Our characters are young, ambitious, flawed and certainly not above suspicion. It is a murder mystery – competition series, where the competition is part of the investigation. I had a lot of fun taking commercial tropes of characters and dissecting their psyche.”
Produced by Dharmatic Entertainment and directed by Reema Maya, the series also features Abhinav Singh, Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, Deeya Damani, Adi Malik, Sheeba Chaddha and Vivek Gomber. Student of the Year: After Dark will premiere on JioHotstar on November 13.
