Student Of The Year 2 Is A Splashy Bore

Starring Tiger Shroff, Aditya Seal, Ananya Pandey, Tara Sutaria

Directed by Punit Malhotra

Rating: **(2 stars)

 In a  film that  runs on  and on , almost as fast  as  its agile leading man,  for  nearly  2 and a half hours Student Of The Year 2(SOTY2) leaves  us with nothing  except  repeated visuals  of youngsters  pouting preening and posing  for  the camera , and pelting the  part  of  the provocateur  with an aggressiveness that  soldiers at  the  border display when the  enemy   is in  the mood for some  action.

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 academic  orgy 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 blowdried vacuousness. That even  their emotions  are  customized. That they are  basically dimsits  masquerading as savvy  millennials.

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 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 Pandey and Tara Sutaria 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….whatever!

This  confectionery   film does  serve only one   purpose: that  of showcasing Tiger Shroff’s versatility. Whether  he  is  dancing  or fighting  Tiger is  a delight to  watch. The lithe personality  lends itself well to  the airheaded  hijinksand some impressively  staged  athletics. Sadly  the  film gives him Tiegr    meat to bite on  , let alone any  solid scenes to chew  on.

The  dialogues sound like groupchats  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 joshand  junoon  of  the  young.

Sadly not this one. Not this carwreck  of  a movie.