By Troy Ribeiro / IANS Film: "Student Of The Year 2"; Director: Punit Malhotra; Cast: Tiger Shroff, Aditya Seal, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Panday, Manoj Pahwa, Ayesha Raza, Manasi Joshi Roy, Samir Soni, Gul Panag; Rating: **1/2 Let's not talk what is novel or original in this film. Let's not talk intelligent stuff too. If you are fine with this, then let's proceed. Needless to say, SOTY2 is a fluffy, well-packaged rehash, inspired from various films of its genre. Unlike its prequel where the plot evolved around an intra-collegiate competition, here the plot pivots around an inter-collegiate three-day event where the students contend for the titular trophy. The competition includes athletics and field events and sports mainly Kabbadi. A predictable underdog story moves at a rapid pace. The narrative focuses on Rohan (Tiger Shroff) a student of the LS (low society) Pishorilal Chamandas College, who dreams of getting into St. Teresa's college not because it is an esteemed institution, but because his childhood sweetheart, the awe-struck Mridula (Tara Sutaria) has taken admission there. By happenstance, he does get admission into St. Teresa's on some sports quota. While he has been accepted with open arms into this prestigious college, there are undercurrents of hostility between him and the other students of the college namely; Manav (Aditya Seal) and Shreya (Ananya Panday), children of a school trustee and their friends. Hostility because Manav, who does not like to lose expected Rohan to tow the line and become his sycophant whereas Shreya, a spoilt brat, just decides to give him a hard time. After the battle lines are drawn, situations drag Rohan beyond his emotional control and he is soon rusticated from college. How Rohan preps himself and pulls up his self-esteem, to win the "Dignity Cup", forms the crux of the tale. The film is naturally Tiger's canvas and he delivers his standard chops along with his flamboyant parkour moves, with ease. He appears charming, sincere and relatable. Equally impressive is Aditya as Manav. But both by no stretch of imagination appear to be college students. Their coterie of friends too appear to be beefed up hulks. Tara as the sweet and ambitious Mridula aka Mia, and Ananya as the perky and spoilt brat Shreya, debut with this film. Both are cute and capable actors. While Tara exercises restraint, Ananya steals the show in some scenes simply because her character is better etched and her lines are breezy. The one scene where she really stands out is the cafe scene where she is impatiently seated with Tiger and Tara. She delivers her lines spontaneously and naturally. Samir Soni fills in Rishi Kapoor's boots as the Principal of St. Teresa's. With his cartoonish demeanour who is always screeching on the microphone or getting stumped for words, he is such a let-down. Gul Panag in a totally underdeveloped role as the Sports Teacher is a pleasant surprise. The songs are well choreographed and they mesh into the narrative seamlessly. But they are not a patch compared to the ones in the prequel. Hollywood actor Will Smith's uncalled for appearance does not up the number, "Yeh jawaani hai diwani". Overall, mounted on a lavish scale and with a lazily drafted screenplay, the film lacks chutzpah. Share this post Read also Read More Soni Razdan rubbishes the Ranbir-Alia marriage 'rumour' 09 May 2019 - 13:07 Amid reports that Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt plan to get married at the beautiful Lake Como -- just like Ranveer Kapoor and Deepika Padukone -- Alia's mother Soni Razdan on Wednesday junked such 'rumours". Read More Review: 'Setters': A serious film that lacks zing 07 May 2019 - 12:24 The subject for the story is well-researched, but the route taken by the writers and director is oft-seen and cliched. Aditya assembles the crack team which consists of officers who are rejected as well as dejected by the system.<doc-sep>‘SOTY 2’ mixes ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ with ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ but loses its own self on the way Watching films like Student of the Year 2 should come with a statutory warning: that it is extremely injurious to the health of senior citizen critics like yours truly. The film doesn’t just make you acutely conscious of the fact that you have one foot in the grave but builds up this larger existential crisis—how like the mummy papa, chachi chacha, principal, teachers and coaches on screen you see are almost redundant in the larger scheme of things of the post-millenials. Other than the young friends and collegemates, no one else is of any consequence in the film; everyone above 20 is shoved to the periphery—either a prop-like presence (coach Manoj Pahwa) or a convenient stereotype (principal Sameer Soni). But then hasn’t every new teen rom-com on the block done this to the previous generation? Didn’t this happen two decades ago as well, when Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turned fantasy, aspirational colleges into a legitimate setting and campus capers as a winning formula? A formula that was ably taken forward by Student of the Year. So there is Mia (Tara Sutaria) who holds forth on growing up and evolving but as a veteran viewer you know that the more things change, the more they remain the same. “We are young and we are crazy” line might get added in the remix of Ye jawani hai deewani but it is still the old classic that is making them spin. Student of the Year 2 Director: Punit Malhotra Starring: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal, Manoj Pahwa, Samir Soni, Gul Panag Storyline: Underdog, middle class Pishorilal College has to get the better of the rich and privileged St Teresa by winning the intercollegiate Dignity Cup Run time: 145 minutes Despite the fresh, young faces at the centre, a staleness looms large over SOTY2. The same old fairytale castle for college building (despite being set in Dehradun/Mussorie), the same old triangle—Archie with Betty and Veronica vying for his attention. In this case there is Rohan (Tiger Shroff) with Mia (Tara Sutaria) and Shreya (Ananya Pandey) for company. The same candyfloss lives, designer clothes with newer, fancier labels and omnipresent pom pom girls, irrespective of whether any crucial game is being played or not. College life is all about having fun with a gang of friends, having a romantic interest and rivalry with another gang. The students play, dance, visit night clubs but, in the time-honoured tradition of mainstream Hindi films, they never study; all they learn is to distinguish between being in love and being in friendship. To be fair SOTY2 tries to be a little different, by adding a little Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar to K2H2. The poor “Pishorilal ka fukra” gets pitched against the “St Teresa dude” in the game of kabaddi, in much the same way as Model had a face off with Rajput in a cycle race in JJWS. But caught between two cult films, SOTY2 isn’t able to acquire a personality of its own. 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. And if it’s the modern, can the traditional remain far behind? In the name of being ambitious, a young girl like Mia is made to come across as stupid and flighty. “I want to make my own life than be someone else’s life,” she says and you know right there that in the modern conservatism of the film’s world, she will regret it later. Eventually, the only million rupee question the film left me with—will kabaddi now become cool?<doc-sep>Student of the Year 2 starring Tiger Shroff, debutantes Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria released today. Here are the first reactions of the audiences who have seen the film. Read On. One of the highly anticipated movies of this year, Student of the Year 2 which stars Tiger Shroff and debutantes Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria released today. The film is a sequel to the 2012 film Student of the Year which launched , and . SOTY 2 stars Tiger as Rohan, Ananya as Shreya and Tara as Mia. The film revolves around the students of St. Teresa College. The trailer surely gave us a new vibe and Tiger’s chemistry with the two new actresses was liked by the public. Today, the film has hit the theatres and has started receiving reactions from the audiences. While some of the people have loved the chemistry between Tiger, Ananya and Tara, others might have loved the dance moves of the Baaghi 2 actor. A few Twitter users, however, seemed to not like the film at all and called it a clone of the earlier film. A special screening for celebs was held last night where the who’s who of Bollywood including Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, , Abhishek Bachchan, Milap Zaveri, Shashank Khaitan and more were present. Shashank and Milap also posted their reaction on seeing the film and praised Ananya and Tara in their debut film. They also were in awe of Tiger Shroff and his moves. SOTY 2’s songs like The Hook Up song, Mumbai Dilli Di Kudiyaan, the Jawaani Song, Fakira and more have been trending on YouTube. The Hook Up song featured Alia Bhatt and Tiger Shroff and it surely left the audiences excited. Helmed by Punit D Malhotra, Student of the Year 2 is produced by ’s Dharma Productions. Check out the Public review of SOTY 2: #SOTY2 Review One Word Review .....Watchable *** — Krishna sharma (@traiimp) May 10, 2019 #SOTY2 @iTIGERSHROFF is a superstar in the making and he proves again in the film why.His sincerity, action and dance are just unparalleled. #AdityaSeal is super impressive.His presence is immense and he is a formidable opponent to Tiger @karanjohar @DharmaMovies @punitdmalhotra — Bimalesh Mukhiya (@Bimalesh301) May 10, 2019 #SOTY2 4/5 film carries all elements such as action, romance, drama, music. Go and have fun. It’s a light entertainer film. Tiger shines as always. Debutants Ananya & Tara are superb. #StudentOfTheYear2 — Mia. (@aaestheticcaf) May 10, 2019 I feel that @iTIGERSHROFF has come to the wrong place he should do acrobatics or go in Olympic make some gold for India ...man he can't act.... #SOTY2 — Shah Jeelani (@ShahJeelani7) May 10, 2019 #SOTY2 first half is so bad that makes Kalank a masterpiece pic.twitter.com/q7qYozebXc — Abhi (@AbhiAkkian) May 10, 2019 Annanya pandey superb in #SOTY2 Love her — Manju (@ammanagatta11) May 10, 2019 Just watched #SOTY2 and clearly its predictable,flawed movie but it has a few wonderfull moments..i guess you have to go with 0 expectations for this movie to work for you..it didnt for me though..wayyy cliche dharma movie..good job done by the debutants though #soty2review — mycrushistaken (@Sahir_KiNG_Khan) May 10, 2019 Watched #SOTY2 .Had a blast watching it. @punitdmalhotra you have done such a good job handling this genre... the film has dance, great action, thrills, humour and along with all this sincere emotion which is so tough to achieve. All the best my friend. @karanjohar @DharmaMovies — Shashank Khaitan (@ShashankKhaitan) May 10, 2019 #SOTY2 @iTIGERSHROFF is a superstar in the making and he proves again in the film why.His sincerity, action and dance are just unparalleled. #AdityaSeal is super impressive.His presence is immense and he is a formidable opponent to Tiger @karanjohar @DharmaMovies @punitdmalhotra — Shashank Khaitan (@ShashankKhaitan) May 10, 2019 Credits :Twitter Read More<doc-sep>
Sify.com Movies Reviews Bollywood Student of the Year 2 Student of the Year 2 review: Incredulous and insipid Students of the Year 2 works only if you are a Tiger fan Source: SIFY By: Subhash K Jha/IANS Critic's Rating: 2/5 Monday 13 May 2019 Movie Title Student of the Year 2 review: Incredulous and insipid Director Punit Malhotra Star Cast Tiger Shroff, Aditya Seal, Ananya Panday, Tara Sutaria In a film that runs on and on, almost as fast as its agile leading man, for nearly two and a half hours, Student of the Year 2 (SOTY 2) leaves us with nothing except repeated visuals of youngsters pouting, preening and posing for the camera. Maharshi review: Predictable, leaves viewers unsatisfied | 100 review: A watchable cop action entertainer | Pokemon Detective Pikachu review: A disappointing fare for fans But the absence of any tangible takeaways in this designer version of Mansoor Khan's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, should be the least of our worries. Six years back when Karan Johar directed Student of the Year, we all wondered what kind of educational opportunities awaits a nation where cinema propagates a classroom-free academy replete with colour, music, banter, flirtation, courtship... Everything except sex and education. Yes, Karan Johar and his director Punit Malhotra want us to believe that these unrealistically groomed youngsters who look like they were born in the arms of Gucci, believe in immaculate conceptions and kindergarten deceptions. That they are constantly suspended in a state of blow-dried vacuousness. That even their emotions are customised. There is not a single genuinely-felt emotion in the entire length and breadth of this expanded banquet of bacchanalia and boredom. The young cast tries... Oh, they try hard to infuse life into a comatose script. The older cast members don't even make an effort. Samir Soni filling in for Rishi Kapoor looks like he reported on the wrong set. Never have I missed Rishi Kapoor so much. (Get well soon, Rishiji). Now for the plot. No, not the one in the film which is skinnier than the film's four principal players all of whom display a nervous agility that would serve them well as cheerleaders in an IPL match. Here, their state of swanky agitation only makes us wonder what all the fuss is about. I am talking about the plot to dislocate us from our mental equilibrium. The lights are bright. Sadly, the aspirations are woefully low. This film is neither as dazzling a showcase for new talent (though admittedly debutantes Ananya and Tara have a bright future) nor is it sure whether it wants to be a successor to the first Student of the Year film or to Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. Or maybe both. This confectionery film does serve only one purpose: that of showcasing Tiger's versatility. Whether he is dancing or fighting, Tiger is a delight to watch. But sadly, the film gives him Tiger meat to bite on, let alone any solid scenes to chew on. 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. Sadly not this one. Not this car wreck of a movie.