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Student of the Year backdrop
19 October 2012Hindi146 min

Student of the Year

5.412 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 12 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

5.25 ratings
UsersUnfavorable

User Score · avg of 5 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Rensil D'Silva ScreenplayKaran Johar DirectorAyananka Bose CinematographyVishal–Shekhar Music

The retired Dean of St. Teresa College, Yogindra Vashist (Rishi Kapoor), lies gravely ill in hospital. As some of his former students gather at his deathbed, Kaizaad "Sudo" Sodabottleopenerwala (Kayoze Irani), Tanya Israni (Sana Saeed), Jeet Khurana (Sahil Anand) and Shruti Pathak (Mansi Rachh (actress) reminisce about their student years in St. Teresa College ten years before, and the events that led up to the present day.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Student of the Year is mixed, with most reviewers landing in the average-to-decent range and few offering strong enthusiasm. Critics most commonly acknowledged the film's lavish production values, choreographed songs, and visual spectacle as its chief draws. On the downside, several reviewers pointed to a weak or absent narrative, a lack of depth, and a sense that the director was less engaged than in prior work. The film is generally seen as an acceptable watch for fans of Karan Johar's signature style of glossy escapism, but an easy skip for those who are not.

12 reviews · 6 positive · 6 mixed

Praised: lavish visuals and production valuesCriticised: weak story and lack of depth

AI-generated summary of 12 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (12)

Anupama ChopraTop Critic· Hindustan Times
6.0
"Karan Johar's forte is excess. He creates fantastical worlds brimming with beautiful people and expensive things and yet anchors them in high emotion. His films work as both designer porn and soap opera."
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Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
6.0
"Too long by about twenty minutes, the film could've done with some tightening – perhaps the clunky treasure hunt sequence could go? Nitpickings aside, this is a breezy, enjoyable film by a director who knows his craft."
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Saibal ChatterjeeTop Critic· NDTV
5.0
"It definitely isn't the film of the year. But if you like your entertainment to be served up with glitzy but pulpy garnishing, pirouette your way to the nearest screen by all means. If you don't, go for it only if your life depends on it."
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Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
4.0
"I have a bone to pick with Karan Johar, who invites us once again, to witness a bunch of young students do their thing."
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Taran Adarsh· Bollywood Hungama
8.0
"On the whole, STUDENT OF THE YEAR is amongst Karan Johar's most accomplished works. The youth brigade would love it and those who have already past that age would want to revisit those days. This one's entertainment, entertainment and entertainment at its best. Clearly, KJo has a winner on hands, yet again!"
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Sukanya Verma· Rediff
6.0
"Often it is this hold on the viewer through constant influx of escapism and pomp with magnificently choreographed songs, razzle dazzle of colours/style/design, appropriate dosage of humour and ritzy production values that distracts one from Student of the Year's brash celebration of superficiality and obvious lack of depth."
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Raedita Tandan· Filmfare
6.0
"All in all, Karan's SOTY world is surreal and spectacular yet it has moments that will bring you back to reality and warm the cockles of your heart. This is escapism at its best. Oh and girls, there's enough brawn to keep you drooling!"
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Bodrul Chaudhury· Bollyspice
6.0
"Student of the Year is a film which has a little bit of everything. It contains drama, comedy and of course romance. It is not a ground-breaking film but it does not leave you feeling that you have made a bad investment. If anything you are left concluding that although it is not one of the greatest films to have ever been made, it was still a film that was worth the watch!"
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Kanika Sikka· DNA India
5.0
"SOTY is not something you would want to miss if the surreal setting with bubble gum romance is your calling. The performances make this film a great watch. It's a treat for all K Jo fans and if you didn't really enjoy Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, K3G and other such films by the director, you can easily skip this one."
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Roshni Devi· KoiMoi
5.0
"Student Of The Year has some really earnest performances and entertaining comedy scenes. Other than that it's a staple Karan Johar affair: ridiculous in parts and dramatic in others."
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Zeenews Bureau· Zee News
4.0
"To sum it up, watch 'Student Of The Year' for the debutantes. They have really pulled off a tough task of playing praiseworthy roles in a film which suffers from the lack-of-a-story syndrome."
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Martin D'Souza· Glamsham
4.0
"I don't know why, but I get this strange feeling that the director was not fully involved or attached to SOTY. The mark of intensity that one has seen in his past films is missing. It's like a grand wedding reception with a poor food spread."
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
19 October 2012
Runtime
146 min
Language
Hindi

User Ratings & Reviews

Users5.25 ratings

5 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (4)

SAMay 2013

It is better then I expected. There is nothing fresh but never gets boring. It is a polished teenage college flick with layers of emotions underneath. For sure Karan Johar knows his craft but he is capable of doing better than this.

AJJul 2017

very interesting college life ,hope it brings every college

SHOct 2017

........ ... ... ... ..

SHSept 2019

'SOTY' to say exactly isn't even logical, and still, it is more fun than what Karan Johar has created in this decade. It is candyfloss entertainment and fuzzy romance served candidly. And that's what makes it one of the best Hindi films of the year despite many, many contrivances. I enjoyed Karan Johar's extremely delightful dazzlingly textured Student of the Year. It was a no-logic love triangle set in a high school (which, ironically, is named after a Saint who emphasized on textbooks and education) where everyone dances in stilettos, reads Vogue magazines and wears expensive Manish Malhotra dresses. Nevertheless, the film was delightful with cheerful performances of Varum Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra. Alia needs a lot of work, she's ofcourse just 17. It's a fairytale on the whole. I'm going with 3 stars for 'SOTY'.

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