They barely passed!

Nonika Singh

You grow up and evolve … so might profess one of the lovely lasses of SOTY 2. But expecting the sequel to be a more mature version of the super-hit Student of The Year is perhaps asking for the moon. It’s not as if the makers are not aware of what they are doing. The director Punit Malhotra has already told us “if I were to put too much depth in it, I would get a kick in my face.” 

So, even as he tips the hat to the prequel by playing out its lilting number, the song Ishq wala love becomes school wala love. 

So, puppy love it is only laced with a high sounding rider (read message); dream for yourself. The template is more or less the same, even the relationship dynamics operates on familiar ground. Love triangle, the high-end school where spitfire Shreya (Ananya Panday) arrives in a convertible and everyone is busy doing anything and everything except studying. Questions like where do these schools exist are simply not to be entertained. 

KJo’s universe we all know is a world we don’t know. To be fair, the poorer counterpart is equally bizarre where the head of the school’s motivational anthem is Jaikara sheran wali maata da. 

The hero, like the previous outing, is not so rich but high on confidence and fluidity. Rich girl too is, well, poor little rich girl abhorred by the father a la SOTY. Her birthday is not celebrated for the mother died the same day delivering her. Sob, sob, but in the race for the Dignity Cup, who has time for it? 

If SOTY gave us three new stars, the sequel comes riding on the muscular biceps of an established one. 

And when that happens, his USP has to be justified. Since Tiger Shroff is best known for his fighting moves, rest assured even though the action is set in a school we have plenty of maar dhaad. Gaana shaana as well, though the only one that gets thumbs-up is the peppy (and well picturised too) remix, Yeh Jawani. After all who can better Kishore da whose original voice mercifully is retained by composer Vishal-Shekhar with additional inputs of course? 

And as Alia Bhatt appears in the end credits, you do feel no one can outdo her, yes, in cutesy department too. Still debutante Ananya Panday has what it takes. Tara Sutaria, who too makes her debut, is not as impressive. But then blame it on the writer for developing her character of Mia rather flimsily. Her flip-flop attitude doesn’t win either the sympathy or the boy. Oops, sorry for letting the spoiler slip in but unlike SOTY, where you keep wondering whom our lovely heroine will choose, here everything is a tad too obvious. Besides, it doesn’t really matter. What is of greater consequence is who wins the long- drawn Kabaddi match. Even though, absolutely no prizes for guessing who takes home the Student Of the Year trophy. 

Din aap ka saal hamara… keeps rubbing in Tiger. Ah, here you wish only if two hours were ours or at least full of more fun and frolic. Will Smith may have ticked off one more item on his bucket list by shaking a leg here, we doubt whether SOTY2 should be on your bucket, ahem viewing list.

nonikasingh@tribunemail.com