Student of The Year 2 REVIEW: In typical Karan Johar narrative, Ananya Panday and Aditya Seal steal the show and are the USP of this soulless sequel 

Seven years back, ace-filmmaker Karan Johar launched three debutants in Bollywood through 'Student of The Year'- Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, and Alia Bhatt. So, with Punit Malhotra now taking over the baton, will Principal Karan Johar's latest graduating batch pass the test? Read here 

Setting the Scene: 

Rohan Sachdev (Tiger Shroff) is a rather promising student, with a flair in sports. Although he comes from a poor background, and studies in Mussourie's Pishorilal Chamandas College, one can say that he is capable of much more, yes with the right direction of course.

But, the thing hindering him is his infatuation with his childhood sweetheart, Mia (Tara Sutaria). As predicted, suddenly gifted with a scholarship, Rohan (Tiger Shroff) finds himself amongst the 'affluent' of St Teresa, where his beloved Mridula, now known as Mia (Tara) also studies. 

However, things take an ugly turn when the raging star of St. Teresa and twice the champion of 'Student of The Year' trophy, Manav Mehra (Aditya Seal) sees Rohan as competition. Meanwhile, in between all this drama enters Ananya Panday, (Shreya) who is not only stealing all the limelight with her rebel moves but keeps the viewer entertained in this mediocre saga. 

Plot

The film's leading man (Tiger Shroff) fits right into the scheme of things when he secures admission to Dehradun's upscale college, St. Teresa but many of his antics start becoming the cause of concern, for the current poster boy Manav (Aditya).

Shroff plays the role of a 'perfect' man in the film, aces every activity that he is involved in. Not exaggerating, but every scene of his is crafted so carefully, one might think that is rather superficial. Amid all this, are the film's leading ladies Tara and Ananya who are always glammed up and sport the best designer clothes.

However, their roles aren't tailored to perfection like Tiger Shroff's, which makes one feel like its closer to reality. While Tara's (Mia) character seems flippant with choices, the film sees Ananya (Shreya) playing the role of a rebel, one that is highly likable. What brings the twist is that she is also playing sister to present poster boy, Aditya Seal (Manav)

Verdict

From scenes to dialogues, the tale is a typical Karan Johar film that is quite predictable. A lot of drama and action remains out of the classroom, with the main focus given to sports, dance and definitely romance!

However, the chemistry between Tiger Shroff and the two debutants never really takes off and even with so many conflicts, the narrative remains light with a focus on overall 'visual appearance'. Meanwhile, the music of the film is quite average, unlike the original film, where chartbusters such as 'Radha', and 'Ishq Wala Love' can still be found on playlists. 

Cast: Ananya Panday, Aditya Seal, Gul Panag, Tiger Shroff, and Tara Sutaria. 

What works: Ananya Panday and Aditya Seal's heartfelt performances

What doesn't work: Music, over-dramatic scenes. The film also has a dialogue which says, "Talent Ko Angrezi Mein Kya Kehte Hai? (What is 'Talent' called in English). The two-second dialogue is so cringe-worthy, that it will make you want to head right to the door and leave. 

Rating: 1.5/5