Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, a tale of love, envy, friendship and rivalry

Campus-romances have never really failed to grab attention on previous account and Karan Johar’s upcoming Student of the Year is expected to step into the spotlight too. The film, scheduled to release on the 19th of October, is Karan Johar’s fifth film. The director has previously called the shots for films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010). Unlike his previous films, all of which have had star-filled casts, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year will have three newcomers in the lead. For the film, the director has roped in model-turned-actor Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan (director David Dhawan’s son) and Alia Bhatt (director Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter), all of who will be making their first silver-screen appearance.

In this coming-of-age film, Sidharth Malhotra plays the role of the righteous and independent Abhimanyu Singh. A state-level runner and a brilliant student, Abhimanyu is competitive and a natural leader. Hailing from a Delhi-based middle class family, Abhimanyu seeks to fund his own education and is enrolled at the esteemed St. Theresa’s High School in Dehradun on a scholarship. At the school, Abhimanyu meets Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), the son of a business tycoon. Arrogant and proud, Rohan locks horns with Abhimanyu. As the movie proceeds, Abhimanyu and Rohan beat all odds to nurture a friendship. To add to the mix, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) steps into the plot. Rohan’s childhood sweetheart and a girl who hates to be put down, Shanaya begins to grab Abhimanyu’s attention. Things take a turn with the announcement of the Student of the Year competition. The film’s three protagonists are faced with competition, envy, triumph, failure, manipulation and heartbreak as each of them then begin competing against each other to win the prestigious title.

Complete with lots of school-campus footage and just enough dance and song routines synonymous with all of Karan Johar’s films, Student of the Year brings to light the dilemmas of teenage relationships. An extravaganza unlike any other, the film is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. The film also stars Rishi Kapoor, Sana Seed, Ronit Roy and Ram Kapoor. Lately, there have been rumors of guest appearances by Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. The film was announced on the 5th of January 2011 with a first-look poster uploaded on the micro-blogging website Twitter by the film’s director, Karan Johar.