Student Of The Year 2

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)

quick review:

Wouldn’t saying, “SOTY 2 is predictable,” predictable in itself? Let’s just say, you get what you expect. Even if there might just have been some potential for change in dynamics between characters, ultimately they are only sly story-telling tactics.

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Director: Punit Malhotra
Running time: 145 minutes
Genres: Romance, Sports
More Movie Info

Student Of The Year 2 - Preview

Just when I tell myself that I have had enough of political dramas and anything else will do, I realise next up is a college rom-com. That too a sequel to a film that I didn’t like much which is now threatening to become a series. You know what, I will still take it.

Especially if there is a chance of a good actor getting a debut/break. I still can’t get over the transition from expecting so little from the actors of Student of the Year, to how I was mildly surprised by their acts in the film, to how I am totally blown over by some of Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan’s performances later and even liked a couple of Siddharth Malhotra performances.

As for the film itself, I seriously don’t think it will offer anything new. The trailer itself bored me. The songs don’t seem enterprising either. But, it still promises the light froth, and I don’t really mind taking that for now.

Student Of The Year 2 releases on 10 May 2019.

Music Reviews:
Bollywood Hungama – "3.5/5"
Music aloud – “2.5/5”
scroll.in - "Equal parts fun and beautiful"

- meeta, a part of the audience

In a sense, Student of the Year 2 is a mind-numbing affair. Just about nothing unexpected happens including you being able to correctly guess the sexual orientation of a character who is gay. So, then it all falls down upon the mechanics used to tell us the story. And that is mostly lame too.

What is left then is the gloss, some of which is done well in a, “if it’s there, it might as well be good” way.

The tone for the unabashed shallowness is set in the first few frames of the film with slow-motion and ridiculous dramatisation. Then as the characters are introduced and their motivations established, the film gives you some hope that the story might make at least a slight effort to be different. False hope, it turns out to be.

Once that is known, there is no real redeeming factor. Not only is the story like that of any underdog sports film, but the city inter-college competition setting also gives it a thick Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (JJWS) feel—sans any of the freshness. Tiger Shroff reminded me of John Abraham’s attempt at acting as much as this film’s backdrop reminded me of JJWS. As for the rest of the debutant cast go, both the actresses had a bit of a spark, Ananya Pandey a little more than Tara Sutaria. But then, for us to know their real calibre, we will have to wait for a few more films—a la Alia Bhat.

Aditya Seal too does a decent enough act for the character arc given to him. With their roles limited to the first half only, both Samir Soni and Gul Panag add a tad bit of grace to the film.

What is left then is the gloss, some of which is done well in a, “if it’s there, it might as well be good” way. That includes slick action choreography including the sports action. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the dance choreography or even the songs. This is in quite some contrast with the first film in the series.

And that is what bothers me the most about the film. That it is a part of a series. If the writing is not going to grow at all, is there a point of making this particular storyline into a series? But such existential questions don’t bother the producers much. Theirs is an agenda that is quite beyond my reach.

- meeta, a part of the audience

36 reviewers(?) - 2 yays 13 so-so 21 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, Bollywood Hungama : ...On the whole, STUDENT OF THE YEAR 2 is an entertaining and an enjoyable fare which will strike a chord in the audience’s hearts. At the box office, it has the potential to do excellent business!... full review

Thumbs up, by Aakanksha Navals, cineblitz : ...CineBlitz Verdict: The movie is a fun watch for sure. Entertaining and engrossing, the film has enough light moments to keep you smiling. It’s a light-hearted popcorn film that you wouldn’t mind watching with your family. Overall, we’d say, the students pass with flying colours and it’s a thumbs-up from us.... full review

So-So, by Urmimala Banerjee, Bollywood Life : ...Leave your logic behind and you wont find SOTY2 to be a disappointment. It is a total timepass movie with some lilting music and funny one-liners. And let us tell you that both the girls are quite confident and you would see more of them.... full review

So-So, by Meena Iyer, DNA : ...Apart from Will Smith's miss-if-you-blink appearance, watch SOTY (2) for Tiger. Even when things around him are caving in, his ballerina grace is intact. One star in the rating is reserved for Tiger.... full review

So-So, by Devansh Sharma, Filmfare : ...All-in-all, SOTY 2 doesn't have the fairytale aspect of the first film but aims for a more earthy approach. Whether the audience with take to this new attempt at college romance remains to be seen.... full review

So-So, by Madhuri V, Filmi Beat : ...Student Of The Year 2 falters in the music department. Barring Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Fakira, the other songs barely leave a mark.... full review

So-So, by Ankur Pathak, Huffington Post : ...High on testosterone and low on storytelling, SOTY 2′s assault on reality and obsession with privilege is best summed up in a dialogue when Panday’s Shreya breaks the music system in the college auditorium after the tempo fails to go the way she wants.... full review

So-So, by R.M. Vijayakar, India West : ...In all, this is the kind of fare that will strike lucky because of Tiger and his fans, and the undemanding audience that takes films like “Baaghi 2” and “Satyameva Jayate” to the skies because what is shown in them is new for today’s generation.... full review

So-So, by Ambica Sachin, Khaleej Times : ...Overall SOTY2 works because of the earnest performances from all four lead actors who are ably supported by some excellent actors in other side roles -specially Rohan's Pishori friends. It might come across as all fluff and not much soul but the pretty faces more than compensate. If you are a fan of KJo's feel good movies detached from reality, then SOTY2 is for you.... full review

So-So, by Tanisha-agarwal and Anlon-d'souza, MiD DAY : ...A fun campus drama, this film will surely strike a chord with college-going students.... full review

So-So, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...Helming the second in the franchise that catapulted the care Read more at: https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-review/student-of-the-year-2-movie-review-tiger-shroff-tara-sutaria-ananya-panday-starrer-excessively-leans-on-tested-formula/articleshow/69265892.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst... full review

So-So, by Priyanka Sinha Jha, News18.com : ...About the report card on the film, the SOTY second edition, although it does not pass with flying colours, does make the grade.... full review

So-So, by Joginder Tuteja, Planet Bollywood : ...As for this film in particular, director Punit Malhotra along with producer Karan Johar make a decent second instalment that follows the same template as the first part while aiming to keep the fun element going for most part of the affair.... full review

So-So, by Kriti Tulsiani, Times Now : ...Performance wise, Ananya shows promise. For a debut film, her act feels finer than that of ‘former student’ Alia Bhatt’s Shanaya in Student of The Year when she started off. Tara, however, is led down by her character, who in totality remains underwhelming throughout. But to her credit, Tara’s dance moves speak of eloquence and grace, and one wonders if she’d have fared well had she played Shreya?... full review

So-So, by Ronak Kotecha, Times of India : ...Overall, SOTY 2 doesn’t have that Ishq wala love, but there is ample dosti, high school drama and cool stuff to keep you going. It's always fun rooting for the underdog and you'll find yourself doing that here, too. There's not much to fuss over, but for the young campus generation, it's a fun and breezy watch. With enough lessons in styling and fashion (out of syllabus, of course).... full review

Thumbs down, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...All this — the clothes, the technicians, the sets, Tiger Shroff — must have cost crores, so why does Arshad Sayed’s script feel like it cost 50 paise? This is a question we keep asking our big-budget productions. SOTY 2 is undernourished and overlong. These films should be fun, the equivalent of a fizzy soda on a summer’s day. What we get feels like a waiter passing off the contents of a used finger bowl as lemonade... full review

Thumbs down, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...Overall, here we have a sequel that remains rich in its entire look and feel, but is quite poor in its content and presentation lacking the required entertainment, drama and believable emotional conflict in its key characters. Heavily relying on the star enigma of Tiger Shroff alone, this is certainly not recommended and can only be tried later on the online portals.... full review

Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, cinemaah : ...Tiger Shroff with his chiseled body and coiled-spring demeanour is perhaps better suited for action roles (like in the Baaghi films); he still needs to work on his acting and speech. Ananya Panday has screen presence, but is styled so that she looks like every other girl on campus wearing the same kind of outfits and hairstyle. If there is to be a SOTY 3, maybe somebody should be assigned to look around and understand what today’s teens are all about.... full review

Thumbs down, by Mayur Sanap, Deccan Chronicle : ...At the end, SOTY 2 is just a silly, formulaic film with stock characters who are just pretty to ogle. It's a bit crude, a lot illogical and you might have to be in a certain state of mind to enjoy a film this silly.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rahul Desai, Film Companion : ...But most of all, there’s another triangle the Rohan-Mridula-Shreya one reflects: Shreya is human and imperfect like the average moviegoer, Rohan is muscular and big and glorious like a big-budget Bollywood potboiler, and Mridula is opportunistic and conflicted like commerce. The math is simple. I love the movies, but is it too much to ask for the movies to love me back? After all, as was evident in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, “ek tarfa pyaar” is romantic only if cancer cuts it short.... full review

Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vertticad, FirstPost : ...This lack of passion is mirrored by Hollywood superstar Will Smith who dances unenthusiastically for a few seconds on stage in this film in what must rank as the worst conceptualised, worst shot superstar guest appearance in Bollywood in recent memory. Smith's scene competes with Sutaria's insipidity, Shroff's acting and numerous plot clichés to be the answer to the question: what's the worst part of Student of the Year 2?... full review

Thumbs down, by Punarvasu Pendse, fullhyd.com : ...It took us superhuman effort to not walk out of the movie during the interval, and we have to admit that even we couldn't sit through the credits. If you're not a hardcore fan of Dharma Productions, doing almost anything else would be a better utilisation of your time.... full review

Thumbs down, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...Vishal-Shekhar are completely out of touch, they killed the iconic Rd Burman’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and none of the other numbers make any impact. Sheer waste.... full review

Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Hindustan Times : ...At one point the guy sits at a cafe table, flanked by the two hysterical girls, one of whom holds a love letter. He’s asking them not to cry while they keep calling him ‘Ro,’ which is Hindi for ‘cry.’ (He seems obedient.) As Archies go, this is a truly mediocre double-digest. It didn’t surprise me when an economics class (the only example of studying) was interrupted on a whim. In this world, textbooks are props, and props are stars.... full review

Thumbs down, by Samrudhi Ghosh, india today : ...Unless you are an ardent admirer of Tiger Shroff's flying kicks, stay away from Student Of The Year 2.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...The running time is too long for what is, essentially, yet-another-buffed-up-version of ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’ crossed with ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Despite its problems, the 2012 flick had a certain goofiness to it. This class of 2019 is awash with predictable beats, which is to be expected from an underdog story, but that it is so clichéd and stilted, is disappointing: from KJo I expect much more swish and sparkle.... full review

Thumbs down, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...All said and done, I don’t mind cheesy Dharma movies (loved the part 1) but this one is just a needless sequel. They could’ve titled this as ‘Not-A-Student Of The Year’, and still, it would’ve have been equally bad.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pankhurie Mulasi, Movie Talkies : ...Cinematography is good, music is average and only Rohan’s friends have good dialogues. The writing is bad and the direction is poor. This film is strictly for Tiger Shroff fans.... full review

Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...Student Of The Year 2 also flunks every test on the parameters of cinematic crafting. For a genuine lover of Hindi popular cinema, which, when done right, can yield enough joys to justify the price of a ticket, it is more trauma than drama.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, News18.com : ...It’s no spoiler to reveal that the film ends with the Hook-Up song that’s filmed on Tiger and Alia Bhatt. Looking back I think we can all agree – except Kangana Ranaut maybe – that giving us Alia Bhatt is what we’ll remember the first Student of the Year for. The new film? I’m not so sure.... full review

Thumbs down, by Manisha Lakhe, Now Running.com : ...The songs that made the original film are all gone here. There are punjabi disco songs in this film that sound so generic, you yearn for the pink tree and 'Ishq wala love' from the original.... full review

Thumbs down, Rediff : ...Bollywood needs more meaningful messages. Bollywood needs more inspiring dreams. Bollywood needs more realistic role models. Bollywood needs more women athletes. Bollywood needs more crying men. Bollywood needs more gay characters. The Indian cinema industry is only just waking up to these things and slowly replacing its hackneyed love stories with deeper plots SOTY 2 just came at the wrong time.... full review

Thumbs down, by SHILPA JAMKHANDIKAR, Reuters : ...With his dancing skills and ripped body, Shroff is perfectly suited to the role of Rohan, but there is nothing in this film that we haven’t seen him do before. A stony-faced Tara Sutaria comes off as too self-conscious in her attempt to play Mia. It is Ananya Pandey who stands out among what is otherwise a mediocre cast. As Shreya, she displays some spunk and life, and is the best thing about this film.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...Arshad Syed’s screenplay makes a fainthearted attempt to deal with the class divide between Rohan and Manav, but loses interest in the service of counting down to the climactic kaddabi battle. The love triangle between Rohan, Mia and Shreya has its moments, all delivered by the perky Ananya Panday, who is the only character at the end of 146 minutes who seems to be enjoying herself.... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Sify Movies : ...The dialogues sound like group chats where everyone tries to be the smartest. The songs and dances are unbearably campy. The retro number Yeh jawani hai deewani is the perfect anthem for a film dedicated to the "josh and junoon" of the young.... full review

Thumbs down, by Namrata Joshi, The Hindu : ...Sutaria has poise, despite all the plastic packaging; Pandey who is irritatingly ditzy to start with, manages to strike some likeable notes. But the film clearly tries to draw from and make the most of Tiger’s appeal amongst Generation Z—so he dances, shows off his muscles, runs races, plays kabaddi and fights the roguish collegemates. All of this, while looking oddly tired and disinterested.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 1 yays 0 so-so 0 nays

Want to Watch, by discuss : Little Rock

Yay! Thumbs Up, by keywordbookmarks

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: A few slickly choreographed fist fights
  • Language: Clean
  • Nudity & Sexual content: Skimpily clad women and topless men
  • Concept: A student competition with an underdog
  • General Look and Feel: A shiny, glamorous atmosphere through most of the film

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Student Of The Year 2 - Cast, crew, links

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Running time:
145 minutes
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