By Shevaal Singh
Rating: 7/10 (3.5/5 stars)
Star Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Rishi Kapoor, Sana Saeed, Ram Kapoor, Kajol (guest appearance).
SOTY is a pure entertainer with some great debut performances and brilliant acting. When watching SOTY , do so with no expectations or comparison to previous Karan Johar movies such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai , Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna , Kal Ho Na Ho or even K3G and you would not be disappointed! This hosts the wonders of Karan Johar movies’ with its elaborate sets such as the school and the dancehall for the Disco Song , great music , sterling dialogues with a touch of humour and the fashion , love and romance to go with it. Blend in ‘Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire’ with the spirit of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, and add a dash of ‘3 Idiots’ for zest with some Glee and you would ultimately find story of Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year.
Set in the picturesque locales of Dehradun, ‘Student Of The Year’ has every element of a Karan Johar school with its Attractive surroundings and the bunch of snobbish, brand-obsessed people as well as a few nerds. The Dean who is a ‘closet gay’ who just doesn’t appreciate the values of friendship boldly Karan Johar has his signature style in this movie.
The story is that of the St. Teressa’s School where its Students yearly have their eyes set on only one end – which is to obtain the Student of the Year Trophy. A bespectacled Kayoze Irani tells the story of St. T’s ten years later and now gathered at the deathbed of their Dean, Yoginder Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor). The run for the Student of the Year trophy, ten years back, was one that was nothing short of a live-or-die competition for the inmates of St. T’s.
First character to be introduced is Rohan Nanda (Varun) who is the rich guy that drives around in a Ferrari at times and Mercedes convertible at others with the perfect body and looks to go with. He happens to be the business tycoon’s son. Rohan is the boy that every girl in the school seems to have set an eye upon and the flirtation skills of Nanda range from light touching at times to receiving a massage on the beach at others. Rohan’s complex relationship with his father, Ashok Nanda (Ram Kapoor) is one to watch out for. There surely are moments if not powerfully moments where the dialogues and scenes shine.
Alia Bhatt, as the girl who’s each hour of the day is dominated by thoughts of whether to carry a Louis Vuitton bag or to strut around in Jimmy Choos, she does an extraordinary job of playing Shanaya Singhania. Shanaya and Rohan are the couple everybody looks up to in the school. Tanya Israni played Sana Saeed – Yes, she is the very same Anjali who played SRK and Rani Mukerji’s daughter in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ is the biggest problem in the relationship of Rohan-Shanaya’s relationship. However, Shanaya and Rohan, as the former’s best friend Shruti (Mansi Rachh) puts in one line, that they are a couple whose match had been made not by rabb (God) but by amiron ki club (rich-man’s club) Shanaya’s character as a whole lacked the ability to shine as the script did not give her a chance to do so but it was a nice debut performance .
Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra) entrance Owner of a six-pack abdomen and some solid potential, Siddharth Malhotra is one of the new entrants to watch out for. Malhotra plays the role of Abhi naturally, charmingly and with élan.
From friends to enemies, Rohan and Abhi has an emotional journey with Shanaya as their rope in the tug-of-war between the hearts of the two, the triangular love story isn’t all that bad but creates a love triangle that eventually leaves no words but punches between Rohan and Abhi
The impressive supporting cast of the film,includes actors like Ram Kapoor, Ronit Roy, Farida Jalal and Boman Irani in special appearances, Sushma Seth and Rishi Kapoor, is really worth applause.
Rishi Kapoor, in a homosexual avatar, yet again proves that he is an actor who can do justice to any role meted out to him with his versatility. Nursing the hots for the coach of St. T’s, Ronit Roy, Rishi Kapoor portrays on screen, a colourful character who is a patriarch and he doesn’t compromise on the ethics of his school. Ronit Roy looks exceptionally fit and well as the coach of the school, and plays his part with amazing brilliance. Ram Kapoor’s Ashok Nanda reiterates the story of a rich father who doesn’t have any-respect for his son’s dreams, and he plays it to excellence.
The music of SOTY is AMAZING with the revival of foot-tapping remixes of songs like ‘Gulabi aankhen’, ‘Yeh chand sa roshan chehra’, ‘Disco deewane’ where we saw Kajol make a short but sizzling appearance – it will sure let musician duo Vishal-Shekhar stay at the top of the music charts for a considerable period of time. ‘Radha’ is one number that is on its way to wriggle up to the top of festive song charts and its remix with Dafli Wali from Sargam which was an amazing twist in the already famous track . ‘Vele’, too, is one groove-worthy song. ‘Ishq wala love is another good song.
Watch Karan Johar’s light-hearted, fun and memorable ‘Student Of The Year’ for the debutantes and Rishi Kapoor’s bold performance that doesn’t fail to entertain. They have really pulled off playing their roles praiseworthily in a film where the script was weaker that the actors ability to perform. Go out this weekend and watch Karan Johar’s next generation of Bollywood in their debut movie … You will be impressed if you watch this movie without comparing it to other Karan Johar movies as it’s something new which attracts the younger generation of cinemagoers!