MID-DAY (April 19, 2019)

In what may be seen as a warning to fans, the cast of Student Of The Year 2, Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday have said that the Karan Johar-backed offering is an “escapist film”. The audience, they suggested, mustn’t put on their thinking caps while watching it. When the trailer of the film dropped last week, it was met with criticism for being far from reality and showcasing a “fantasy” school life.

At the launch of its new song, Panday said the audience should approach the film through a magical lens. “It was funny when people said, ‘We didn’t have these uniforms in school’. Even I didn’t. It is a larger-than-life film and you have to take the magic that comes with it.”

Point out that the representation of students — who encounter bullying and body-shaming in schools — isn’t accurate, and Panday says, “In school, [kids] face a lot of pressure. There is a lot of stuff going on. So, when people go to watch movies, they want to escape from that. We are providing an escape for them through this movie. We are not trying to be role models. We are just trying to provide a moment of happiness and joy.”

To this, Shroff added, “It is not a heavy film. It’s a film for the youth. It’s an entertainment experience for everyone. Come have fun, don’t bring your thinking caps,” he said.