SOTY After Dark Review: Shanaya Kapoor’s Double Role Is the Draw
Shanaya Kapoor plays twins in JioHotstar's Student Of The Year: After Dark, a six-episode campus murder mystery that gives the franchise a darker edge.
Student Of The Year: After Dark arrives on JioHotstar with a question at its heart: what happens when a franchise built on glamour, friendship and campus romance meets a murder mystery? Across six episodes, the series swaps the usual coming-of-age stakes for a death investigation — and gives Shanaya Kapoor a double role at the centre of it.
A death at St. Teresa’s College
Ayesha Malik, the queen bee of St. Teresa’s College, is found dead in a frozen lake. Her death quickly becomes a viral talking point. While the college grapples with the news, her twin sister Aditi decides she will not wait for someone else to find out what happened.
Aditi’s search moves beyond the popular faces and polished groups on campus. As she gets closer to the truth, secrets and complicated relationships begin to surface, and nearly everyone appears to have something to hide.
Shanaya Kapoor’s twin act is the main attraction
The review’s central praise is reserved for Shanaya Kapoor, who plays Ayesha and Aditi as two distinct people. One is the popular, glamour-facing figure; the other is emotionally driven and determined to uncover the truth. That contrast gives her room to hold attention in both roles, and the review suggests she carries much of the series’ intrigue.
The rest of the ensemble — Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, Mannat Duggal, Deeya Damimi, Sheeba Chaddha and Harsh Chhaya — builds the world of St. Teresa’s College. The veteran presence of Sheeba Chaddha and Harsh Chhaya adds weight to the proceedings, while the younger actors fill the campus dynamics.
What works, and where it slows
- Fresh genre shift: the familiar college world is repurposed for suspense rather than romance.
- Layered suspicion: multiple characters keep secrets, so the central mystery has room to breathe.
- Uneven pacing: the review notes the storytelling could have been tighter in places.
Director Reema Sengupta retains the franchise’s glamorous surface but gives the series a darker identity. That balance is the show’s biggest creative bet — and it mostly pays off, even if the rhythm is not always consistent.
Why this matters for the franchise
This is a clear example of franchise reinvention: keeping a recognizable world and audience, but changing the central conflict to create a new reason to watch. For streaming platforms, that is a lower-risk way to extend an established title while introducing newer faces.
For Shanaya Kapoor, the series also works as a prominent OTT showcase. A double role in a known franchise puts her front and centre ahead of larger film projects, and the review suggests she uses the opportunity well.
Before you press play
Go in expecting a slow-burn campus mystery rather than a glossy romantic drama. If you enjoy the investigation and the twin dynamic, the six-episode format is easy to finish over a weekend. If you need a tightly paced thriller, the review warns the show has a few lulls.
Source: Bollywood Bubble
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