'Shanaya isn't just stepping into the spotlight, she's shattering it and the first look is just the tip of the iceberg,' said Johar, founder and managing director of Dharmatic Entertainment.
20 October, 2026, 12:45 pm
Last modified: 20 October, 2026, 01:02 pm
Karan Johar's college romance franchise "Student of the Year" is getting a darker web series spin-off in "Student of the Year: After Dark", starring Shanaya Kapoor.
JioHotstar yesterday (19 October) unveiled the first look of the series. Directed by Reema Maya and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the series will start streaming on 13 November.
Maya described the project as something stripped to its bones and reimagined as a thriller competition web series.
"Karan Johar has put his faith in my voice and vision and I'm excited to have fun with this genre. The web series format is giving us a wide canvas for the conversations we want to have with our youth. We had so much fun with the music of the show," she said, praising Kapoor.
Johar, who launched the original SOTY in 2012 with Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in lead roles, returns as the producer on the project.
"When I look at this new chapter, I see a phoenix rising. We began this franchise with big dreams in 2012 and now we're breaking every rule we set. With Reema's genre-defying direction and Shanaya's powerful double-role performance, we're setting the stage for something spectacular. Shanaya isn't just stepping into the spotlight, she's shattering it and the first look is just the tip of the iceberg," said Johar, founder and managing director of Dharmatic Entertainment.
Alok Jain, head of Hindi and English entertainment business at JioStar, said reimagining an iconic franchise like "Student of the Year" for a new format and a new generation came with both responsibility and creative risk.
"It is an exciting creative leap bringing back a familiar and much-loved IP in a completely new avatar, while retaining the spirit of what made it connect with audiences in the first place," he added.
Apoorva Mehta, chief executive officer and managing director of Dharmatic Entertainment, said "Student of the Year: After Dark" was not just a reboot, but a bold, genre-defying reimagining for a new generation.
Johar released the second "Student of the Year" film in 2019, with Ananya Panday, Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria in lead roles.