Shanaya Kapoor plays twin sisters in Student of the Year: After Dark on JioHotstar

The name Student of the Year brings to mind college glamour, friendships, quarrels and reconciliations, rivalry and young people with big dreams. Student of the Year: After Dark sets the usual college drama aside this time. It has a murder mystery, mental stress and a web of secrets. In the familiar world of St Teresa's, glamour now comes with mystery and suspicion.

The series has six episodes. It is directed by Reema Maya and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, and is currently streaming on JioHotstar. The coming together of Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla and Apoorva Mehta has given the project added strength. It tries to keep the franchise's old identity while presenting it in a new and different creative style.

The story begins with the mysterious death of Ayesha Malik, the most famous student at St Teresa's. Shanaya Kapoor plays both Ayesha and her twin sister Aditi. Aditi decides she will not rest until the truth behind her sister's death comes out.

In her search for the truth, many tangled threads begin to open up before Aditi. A secret competition, personal ambitions and hidden relationships are all at play. Rather than revealing everything in each episode, the story slowly builds an atmosphere of suspicion and keeps the audience thinking.

The series stands out because the college setting itself becomes an important part of the murder mystery. On the surface everything looks polished and glamorous, but behind it lies the dark reality of ambition, rivalry and some shocking secrets. There is no telling how far the desire to win may take someone.

Shanaya Kapoor gets a big opportunity to show her acting in the series and makes full use of it. When playing two different characters, it is not easy to keep their temperament, emotions and thinking distinct. Shanaya has managed this with good confidence.

As Aditi, Shanaya brings emotional depth. On one side is the grief of losing a sister, on the other the restlessness of searching for the truth among the people around her. She balances the two feelings well, and her performance has a fresh confidence. As Ayesha, she introduces the audience to the famous girl around whose death the whole story revolves. Shanaya succeeds in bringing out the difference between the two characters.

Director Reema Maya has given the series a distinct atmosphere. Her direction is effective in keeping the secret behind each character intact. Good production design and visual presentation make the college world feel very close to the viewer. The Night Songs and Shalom Benjamin's original background score also deserve praise. The music creates suspense and tension at the right moments without overpowering the scenes.

The supporting cast, including Divik Sharma, Abhinav Singh, Manya Grover, Diya Damini and Adi Malik, has also added its own colour to the story through their characters.

The editing of some scenes could have been tighter, but on the whole the series is an entertaining watch. Student of the Year: After Dark is a good attempt to present a well-known franchise in a new style. Through it all, Shanaya Kapoor emerges as the biggest strength of the series.