Confusion was Reema Maya’s first reaction when she was approached to direct the newest instalment of Student of the Year (SOTY). Having made independent movies and music videos, she wasn’t an expected choice for filmmaker Karan Johar’s franchise that offers a glossy take on campus life. Recalling her first conversation with Johar, she said, “I remember Karan saying, ‘I want you to make it your own.’ He has been true to his word.” The result is Student of the Year: After Dark.

The first two instalments of Student of the Year were built around romance, rivalry and the glossy world of elite campus life. But when filmmaker Reema Maya was approached to direct the next chapter of the franchise, she wasn't particularly interested in revisiting that territory. Student of the Year: After Dark takes the familiar school setting and turns it into a murder mystery, with competition, friendships and the insecurities of growing up forming the crux of the story. For Maya, the opportunity came with an unusual degree of creative freedom from franchise creator Karan Johar, who wanted her to bring her own sensibility to the property.