I went to watch "Student Of The Year" expecting a typical KJo flick and the film completely lived up to my expectations. It was an extremely over-the-top candyfloss story. However, it was definitely worth that one-time-watch.
The story is set in a out-of-this-world fancy school named St.Teresa's, which is kind of a blend between Gurukul (Mohobbatein) and Hogwarts in terms of sheer size and magnitude. The three leads, Rohan Nanda, Shanayah Singhania and Abhimanyu Singh are among the most popular kids (sounds like Ron, Hermione and Harry??). No points for guessing who is a rich brat and who is poor. Thanks to our endless number of movies, names like Nanda and Singhania are synonymous with wealth and abundance!
So, the story mainly revolves around this group of 7 kids, their effeminate principal and the sports coach (and the principal's dream-boy :-D). The two dudes are great at sports, academics and whatever else they do. The babe is good at being sexy. Then there's this fat, studious guy and a sardar to attempt comedy. There's also a chamcha of the rich dude, a "best friend" of the babe and another wannabe babe. The entire film focuses on school life, romance, friendship, competition, betrayal, revenge and reconciliation. The story is simplistic. The first half opens with a Dil Chahta Hai-esque hospital sequence with a story telling similar to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. The second half focuses on how they try to win the prestigious "Student of the Year" trophy. This part is a mixture of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and Harry Potter. Overall not a bad one though...
Out of all the new comers, I personally liked Varun Dhawan the best. However Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt are a close second. Kayoze Irani also stands out. I was kinda surprised to see Sanaa Saeed after so many years since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Rishi Kapoor is damn cute in the gay-ish principal's character! The rest of the supporting cast is alright although I feel Ram and Gautami Kapoor are an incorrect choice as parents of a 20 year old!!
Overall, these students have made their mark and am sure will go a long way! Kudos to KJo for maintaining the candyfloss quotient with this goody goody movie! Whatever everyone else says I thoroughly enjoyed it!
