The trailer for Shanaya Kapoor's upcoming series 'Student of the Year: After Dark' was released on Tuesday, offering a darker take on the popular 'Student of the Year' franchise. Set against the backdrop of the prestigious St. Teresa's school, the series combines intense competition, personal rivalries and a murder investigation, with Kapoor playing twin sisters at the centre of the mystery.

Directed by Reema Maya and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the series is scheduled to premiere on JioHotstar on November 13. Unlike the franchise's earlier focus on campus relationships and student rivalries, the upcoming show introduces a crime thriller in which the pursuit of success becomes entangled with a mysterious death. 

The trailer offers a glimpse into a school where students are determined to claim the top spot, even as secrets and suspicions threaten to turn their relationships upside down.

What is 'Student of the Year: After Dark' about?

The story begins with the mysterious death of Aayesha Malik, played by Shanaya Kapoor, one of the most popular students at St. Teresa's. While her death is believed to be accidental, her twin sister Aditi, also portrayed by Kapoor, suspects otherwise.

Unwilling to accept the official explanation, Aditi enters the school under a different identity to investigate what happened to her sister. Her search for answers leads her into the highly competitive Student of the Year contest, where she discovers that the people closest to Aayesha were also competing against her.

As Aditi navigates the competition, she begins to uncover hidden tensions and secrets among the students. With several people potentially having motives, she must compete for the coveted title while trying to identify the person responsible for her sister's death.

The series places the murder mystery at the centre of the competition, with each stage bringing Aditi closer to the truth.

Shanaya Kapoor on playing twin sisters

Speaking about her experience of portraying two contrasting characters, Shanaya Kapoor said the dual role allowed her to explore different personalities within the same story.

“Playing Ayesha and Aditi has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences for me as an actor. While the two sisters may look alike, they couldn’t be more different in their personalities and the choices they make. Ayesha’s mysterious death sets the story in motion, while Aditi’s search for the truth unravels a world where appearances can be deceptive and even the closest relationships hold secrets. What appealed to me the most about Student of the Year: After Dark is how it takes a much-loved franchise into an unexpected and new territory, where the stakes go far beyond competition and winning a title. It’s this fresh and intriguing take on a familiar world that made the experience so exciting for me.”

The series marks a departure from the familiar format of the franchise, with Kapoor's characters driving both the emotional conflict and the investigation.

Director Reema Maya on reimagining the franchise

Director Reema Maya said the series explores the pressure young people face to succeed and the consequences of allowing competition to dominate their lives.

“Student Of The Year - After Dark is grit, angst and heart. It is for the youth of now. A popular franchise reimagined for current times. The trailer is a glimpse into the new world we have created. There is so much more in store! I wanted to explore the relentless competition that our youth find themselves grappling with. What happens when the need to succeed becomes all-consuming - destroying friendships, and even oneself. Our characters are young, ambitious, flawed and certainly not above suspicion. It is a murder mystery - competition series, where the competition is part of the investigation. I had a lot of fun taking commercial tropes of characters and dissecting their psyche.”

Through the new series, Maya brings together the familiar setting of St. Teresa's and a storyline driven by suspicion, ambition and the consequences of intense competition.

When and where to watch 'Student of the Year: After Dark'

'Student of the Year: After Dark', produced by Dharmatic Entertainment and directed by Reema Maya, will begin streaming on JioHotstar on November 13.

The series will feature Shanaya Kapoor in the dual roles of Aayesha and Aditi Malik, with the mystery surrounding Aayesha's death forming the central storyline.