Shanaya Kapoor knows that stepping into the world of Student of the Year comes with expectations. But with Student of the Year: After Dark, the actor wants to move beyond the franchise’s legacy and give the familiar campus a distinct identity.

The upcoming series revisits St. Teresa’s, this time with a murder mystery at its centre, where ambition, rivalry and the pressure to succeed take a darker turn.In an exclusive statement to India Today, Shanaya spoke about consciously putting aside the expectations attached to the franchise and approaching the project as a fresh story.

The actor, who plays a double role in the series, said she wanted to focus on the script rather than feel burdened by what came before.“It’s a huge deal for me to be carrying this forward for the show, and for all of us to be a part of it. When I approached the script, I didn’t want to keep that baggage in my mind.

I wanted to approach it as just a script that my director had given to me, and focus on how we were going to prepare for it and make this our own,” she said. Shanaya admitted that consciously switching off comparisons was challenging, but said creating a distinct voice for the new instalment was also important for her: “I think the approach was quite tough because you have to consciously switch off those thoughts and not carry that baggage forward, because we are trying to make something new and something different and create a different voice for this franchise.

And I think that’s the beauty of all the other three franchises." While the first SOTY film made stars out of newcomers Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra, the sequel was the launch pad of Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria, with Tiger Shroff leading the cast. Both films were under Dharma Productions, while this new-age thriller is bankrolled by its younger production wing, Dharmatic Entertainment.

Directed by Reema Maya, the film reimagines the competitive campus setting as a murder mystery. The series also features Abhinav Singh, Divik Sharma, Manya Grover, Deeya Damani, Adi Malik, Sheeba Chaddha and Vivek Gomber.Shanaya Kapoor industry friends have also rallied behind her, with Ananya Panday, Suhana Khan, and cousins Arjun Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor sharing their reactions to the trailer on Instagram Stories.

Ananya welcomed her back to St. Teresa’s with, “Back to St.

T and this time after dark. Hey student,” while Suhana wrote, “CAN’T WAIT.” Khushi, meanwhile, declared, “I’m SEATED”.

Arjun was particularly taken by the franchise’s darker turn, writing, “Love this twisted take on SOTY. Literally ‘killing it’.” Shanaya added how much she values honest feedback from her close friends, believing that constructive criticism is an important part of personal and professional growth. "We’ve always been very honest with each other, and I think that’s really important.

If you’re close to someone, but they can’t be honest with you, then are you really that close? I feel like when my friends give me feedback or point out something that could help me grow, that’s their way of showing they genuinely care.

And I really value that honesty,” she said.Student of the Year: After Dark will stream on JioHotstar from November 13.- Ends