With Student of the Year: After Dark, director Reema Maya explores the pressures of competition on young minds

For filmmaker Reema Maya, stepping into the world of Student of the Year (SOTY) was as much an exercise in challenging herself as it was an opportunity to reimagine a popular franchise. Until now, her creative journey had largely unfolded through independent short films, music videos and advertising projects. With the six-episode Student of the Year: After Dark – produced by Dharmatic Entertainment and releasing on JioHotstar on November 13 – Maya marks her foray into mainstream, long-form storytelling.

“It was scary, to be honest. The longest project I’ve worked on before this series was a 28-minute short film (Nocturnal Journal). So obviously, directing Student of the Year: After Dark was a little nerve-racking since I had to step out of my comfort zone,” says Maya. Recalling the creative transition as the show’s creator and director, she admits that working on the spin-off of SOTY, which has a darker theme and deals with the death of a student, was a conscious choice.

“I wanted to use this opportunity to understand and enjoy all the excitement that comes with longer screen time, more characters and a larger canvas to develop characters,” says Maya. Coming from an independent filmmaking background, she was also curious about understanding the grammar of commercial cinema. What made her transition smooth is the creative freedom she received from producer Karan Johar and Somen Mishra, head of creative development and producer at Dharma Productions.

Recalling her first conversations with Johar, Maya says his brief was simple: “I want you to take it (SOTY) and make it your own.” Johar produced and directed the first Student of the Year (2012). The second instalment though produced under his banner was directed by Punit Malhotra.

While conceptualising the series, the most visible departure is perhaps in its treatment of the world of St Teresa’s. While the school and its setting remain familiar, Maya wanted to look beyond its glossy surface. For her, the starting point was the intense competition that defines the lives of young people today. “There is competition for attention, likes, clicks and shares. There’s competition for marks. There’s competition for jobs. We are constantly competing and made to feel that there isn’t enough for all of us,” she says.

Instead of reproducing the familiar archetypes of the franchise, she wanted to understand the emotional and psychological experiences that shape these characters. “I wanted to talk about good kids stuck in bad situations and what this competitive mindset does to young minds,” she says.

The darker undertones of the series, therefore, are not an attempt to create edginess. “It’s not all glossy and perfect. We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people,” she says.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Maya studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School and graduated in Contemporary Media Practice from the University of Westminster. Her interest in experimenting with form and storytelling, however, can be traced to her early years. She knew she wanted to become a filmmaker when she was around 12. After returning to India in 2013 after graduation, at the age of 23, she started CATNIP Culture, a company that initially focused on music-oriented video content. Among her projects were music videos for Ritviz and Divine’s Baazigar. She also worked on advertising campaigns, including Proper Lady for Puma.

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While she enjoyed the work, Maya wanted to move towards storytelling that had a deeper social resonance. She returned to an old script and made Counterfeit Kunkoo (2017) with the help of family and friends. The short film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was screened at nearly 120 festivals. Her second short, Nocturnal Burger (2023), too premiered at Sundance and later qualified for the Oscars.

Maya’s transition to a mainstream franchise does not signify a departure from her independent sensibilities. “Just because you do one genre well, doesn’t mean you can’t do a different genre well. Just because you are an independent filmmaker doesn’t mean you can’t do commercial films,” she says. She cites filmmakers such as Wong Kar-wai, Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman among those whose work she enjoys.

Speaking about Shanaya Kapoor, who plays two different roles in the series, Maya says: “I really enjoyed how Sanaya became the character she plays. She spoke like Aditi, and even when we were talking off-camera, she had that Aditi expression. She was very prepared and committed to playing both roles.”

In the coming years, Maya wants to be versatile as a filmmaker. “I don’t want to be boxed into doing only one kind of work. I want to be prolific and never stop experimenting. I want to make more young adult content. I have a lot to say about a lot of subjects, and I want to say them all.”