Student of the Year 2: Why Tiger Shroff’s Film Is More Similar to Sanjay Suri’s Say Salaam India Than Aamir Khan’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (SPOILER ALERT)

So Student of the Year 2 has released on May 10, and it is getting mixed reviews from critics and fans. The sequel to the 2012 film Student of the Year, the movie stars Tiger Shroff in the lead, with Taran Sutaria and Ananya Panday making their debut. Karan Johar, who has helmed the first movie, is content here as the producer. He gives the reins of the film to Punit Malhotra to take the franchise forward. (BIG SPOILERS about Student of the Year 2 ahead). Student of the Year 2 Movie Review: Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria’s Film Is All About Good Looks, Good Looks, Good Looks (and Some Flying)!

The first thought that came to my mind after watching Student of the Year 2 was that it is basically a glamorous mish-mash of the first SOTY movie and the brilliant Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. If the first half relied on the tropes of the Karan Johar film, the second half steals the competitive spirit of the Aamir Khan movie.

However, an interesting casting bit in Student of the Year 2 makes it more relatable to another sports movie in Bollywood, albeit an underrated one. That casting bit happens to be Aditya Seal. And the movie - the 2007 film Say Salaam India.

Aditya Seal, who made his debut in the controversial Ek Chotisi Love Story, is playing the main antagonist in Student of the Year 2. He is playing Manav Mehra, a rich arrogant student of St Teresa's, who is the star performer of the college and the winner of Student of the Year trophies for two consecutive years. In Tiger Shroff's Rohan, he first sees a competitor, before he tries to make him a sidekick. Student of the Year 2: Meet Aditya Seal as Manav, Who Will Fight It Out With Tiger Shroff Till the Finish Line.

Thanks to a romantic entanglement involving Mia (Tara Sutaria), things go sour between Rohan and Manav. Manav gets Rohan rusticated from St Teresa's. A defeated Rohan goes back to his 'poor' school and he uses his friends to challenge the might of Manav's team for SOTY trophy in track events and kabaddi. So far, so JJWS!

So why had I mentioned Say Salaam India? That movie, directed by Jolly LLB fame Subhash Kapoor, was based around cricket and had Aditya Seal play the arrogant captain of the team of Royal Heritage, an elite school. Sanjay Suri plays the passionate, upright coach of the team. His ways don't match with the team's attitude and soon the coach is sacked.

So what does he do? He goes on to coach the cricket team consisting of less-privileged kids and make them compete with Royal Heritage's team in the inter-school competition. Sounds familiar?

Watch the Trailer of Say Salaam India here:

The similarities don't end here. In both SOTY2 and Say Salaam India, the underdog team gets to win in the final match because of the over-confidence of Aditya Seal's character, Siddharth. In Say Salaam India, the heroes' team needs four runs from one ball and their chances look very bleak. However, Siddharth throws the final ball as a bouncer that goes a bit too high and away from the gloves of the wicket-keeper. It goes all the way to the boundary and earns the opposite team the winning runs.

In Student of the Year 2, St Teresa's team gets a big lead from Tiger Shroff's team in the final kabaddi match. All Manav had to do is waste the last 30 seconds and win the match for his team. He does just that, keeping himself away from the grasp of his opponents. But in his over-exuberance, Manav crosses the line with a second to spare. This gives Tiger Shroff another chance to win the match for his team, and since this is a Bollywood film, he does that with ease!

Agree with the similarities pointed out here? So if you really want to watch a good sports movie, avoid Student of the Year 2 and watch the better-made, but less-appreciated Say Salaam India. We also don't mind another rewatch of the evergreen Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar too!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2019 05:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).