Shanaya Kapoor just gave Student of the Year fans a shot of nostalgia. Ahead of her upcoming web series, she shared a video of herself in a black satin dress, posing for a photoshoot while the song ‘Shanaya Shanaya’ played in the background. Her caption — ‘had to use this song na’ — leaned into the joke: she shares a name with the character Alia Bhatt made famous in the 2012 original.
A franchise moment comes full circle
Student of the Year was Alia Bhatt’s Bollywood debut. She played Shanaya Singhania, a popular, fashion-obsessed student who became one of the film’s most recognisable figures. Her introduction and the track ‘Shanaya Shanaya’ would go on to become memorable parts of the franchise.
Now the property is being reimagined as a web series, Student of the Year: After Dark, and Shanaya Kapoor is stepping into that world. Her post is a knowing wink at the coincidence — a new Shanaya arriving in a familiar universe. The series premieres on JioHotstar on November 13.
Why the callback works
This is more than a fun social media moment. It is a sharp piece of franchise marketing. By invoking an iconic song from the original, the promotion borrows more than a decade of audience affection and points it at the new series.
- Nostalgia as entry point: Viewers who loved the 2012 film get an emotional reason to sample the reimagining.
- Name as brand: ‘Shanaya’ itself becomes the bridge between the original and the new series.
- Low-cost, high-recall: One short video, one familiar song — the hook arrives without a heavy promotional push.
What it tells us about the OTT play
Student of the Year: After Dark arrives in a crowded streaming market. Attaching a new series to a known franchise gives it a head start in awareness that an original title would have to earn from scratch. The move also shows how Bollywood’s streaming-era reboots are learning to market themselves: rather than starting from a blank slate, they lean on songs and moments already embedded in audience memory.
For fans of the original and newcomers alike, the simple takeaway is this — the Shanaya baton is being passed on, and the new chapter lands on JioHotstar on November 13.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com