Shanaya Kapoor steps into a double role for her streaming debut in Student of the Year: After Dark, a murder mystery that flips the glossy campus franchise into something far darker. The trailer, released on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, shows Kapoor as twin sisters Aayesha and Aditi Malik — one found dead, the other determined to find out why. The series premieres on JioHotstar on November 13, 2026.
The trailer opens with a body. Aayesha Malik, the queen bee of St. Teresa Heritage School, is discovered drowned and frozen in Barakhali Lake . Her twin sister Aditi refuses to accept that the death was an accident. She enrolls at the same school and enters its fiercely competitive Student of the Year contest, convinced that winning is the only way to get close to the people who might have killed her sister .
What the Trailer Reveals About the Story
The one-minute-fifty-second trailer lays out a clear mission. Aditi walks the same corridors as Aayesha, questioning friends, a boyfriend, and rivals who all seem to be hiding something. Aayesha’s boyfriend is shown ordering people to “delete everything” connected to the night she died, hinting at a possible cover-up .
The Student of the Year competition itself looks nothing like the dance-and-drama version from the films. Competitors wear red clothing, black bulletproof jackets, and masks, and Aditi learns that accidents from past editions have been quietly covered up by the authorities . The trailer’s official caption sets the tone: “At St. Teresa Heritage School, the closer you get to the truth, the deadlier it gets” .
Shanaya Kapoor on Playing Two Sisters
Kapoor described the double role as one of the hardest and most satisfying parts of her career so far. In an official statement, she explained how the two sisters differ despite looking identical.
“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.”
— Shanaya Kapoor
The actor also spoke about why the project appealed to her, noting that the series takes a familiar franchise into territory where “the stakes go far beyond competition and winning a title” .
Reema Maya on the Show’s Core Idea
Director Reema Maya, known for the short film Nocturnal Burger, said she wanted to explore what happens when the pressure to succeed becomes all-consuming. Her statement frames the series as a study of ambition and its costs.
“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. 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.”
— Reema Maya
Karan Johar Calls It a New Chapter for the Franchise
Producer Karan Johar, who launched the original Student of the Year in 2012 with Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Sidharth Malhotra, shared the trailer on social media with a short message about the school’s new era.
“A whole new era dawns upon St. Teresa Heritage School and the closer you get to the truth, the deadlier it gets.”
— Karan Johar
In a longer statement tied to the show’s announcement, Johar described the project as a deliberate break from what audiences expect from the franchise. “We began this franchise with big dreams in 2012, and now we’re breaking every rule we set,” he said, adding that Kapoor is “shattering” the spotlight rather than simply stepping into it .
Who Else Is in the Cast
Shanaya Kapoor leads the series in the dual roles of Aayesha Malik and Aditi Malik. The supporting cast includes Abhinav Singh, Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, Deeya Damani, Adi Malik, Sheeba Chaddha, and Vivek Gomber . Sheeba Chaddha plays the twins’ mother . The series is produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the digital arm of Dharma Productions .
Viewers Compare the Trailer to International Teen Dramas
Social media reactions to the trailer have been split. Some viewers are intrigued by the franchise’s darker turn, while others pointed out similarities to popular international shows about competitive schools and deadly games.
One viewer wrote, “Giving Riverdale x 13 reasons vibes” . Another commented, “ELITE + Squid Game = Student of the Year After Dark” . A different user described it as “South Bombay ka squid game basically” . Some reactions were more critical of Kapoor’s casting, with comments questioning the decision to put her in the lead .
The comparisons are early audience impressions, not confirmation of any direct creative influence. The trailer’s shift from romance to murder has clearly made viewers look at the franchise in a new way.
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Release Details for Global Viewers
Student of the Year: After Dark streams exclusively on JioHotstar starting November 13, 2026 . The series is a JioHotstar Special and will be available to subscribers on the platform. For audiences outside India, JioHotstar content availability depends on the platform’s regional access. The show has no theatrical release and is a streaming-only series .
The original Student of the Year released in 2012, followed by Student of the Year 2 in 2019, directed by Punit Malhotra and starring Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday, and Tara Sutaria . The new series arrives 14 years after the first film .
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