When Kota Factory was announced, the wounds from my engineering days were somewhat fresh. That’s why there was a sense of relief that someone was going to talk about the commercialization of the aforementioned subject and the toxic rat race to get into IIT and other premier institutions in the country that was ruining lives. Unfortunately, that feeling of vindication soon turned into disappointment as the first season of the show hardly touched upon the cyclical destructive nature of India’s education system and chose to glorify and justify the “struggle” to clear entrance exams. Season 2 was no different, as it kept showing that the anxiety and health scares that come with the process of getting into the country’s top institutes are worth it as long as you are in touch with your family and friends. With Season 2’s ending, the show promised to finally have the long-overdue discussion on student suicides that have plagued Kota and engineering ever since their inception. Has Kota Factory Season 3 delivered on that promise? Let’s find out.
Pratish Mehta’s Kota Factory Season 3 starts off where the last season left off, as we see batches of IIT and NEET aspirants burning the midnight oil to enter the institute of their dreams. However, while Vaibhav, Meena, and Uday chomp on their “kachoris” and fret about their DPPs, Jeetu Bhaiya rots away in his room, seemingly overwhelmed by the death by suicide of the student who was persuaded by him to continue her studies. One casual call from Dhruv reminds him that he does need to ensure that AIMERS (the coaching institute he has founded with his savings and Dhruv’s money) remains functional, or else he will be swimming in debt. So, he picks himself up and starts teaching again. It’s apparent, though, that he isn’t the same person he was before, and Jeetu Bhaiya’s erratic behavior starts to rub off on his colleagues and his students. As the exam dates get closer, Vaibhav’s relationship with Vartika is tested, Meena becomes increasingly aware of his financial status, and Uday strays so far away from his goals that it leads to a seemingly irredeemable debacle.
I’m not going to lie, but Kota Factory Season 3 is a mess. The writers try to tackle the topic of student suicide, but they do it from the perspective of Jeetu Bhaiya, of all people. Hence, it seems like they are trying to tell the audience that students should think twice before taking their own lives because it has an adverse effect on their teachers. We hardly see the impact of a student’s death on the students, and the show doesn’t even address the fact that a death by suicide has become a negligible footnote in the history of Kota because it’s so hell-bent on being sympathetic towards Jeetu Bhaiya. This issue stems from the misconception that the character of Jeetu Bhaiya is more important than the critique of India’s education system and the titular education hub, and it’s baffling that nobody pointed it out while the show was being scripted. But, in doing so, the show inadvertently ends up sending the right message: those who can afford therapy will avail themselves of it and move on, while those who can’t will be stuck in the hamster wheel that’s feeding them the illusion of success.
The drama between the kids has become old and stale at this point. Kota Factory Season 3 does introduce new characters like Pooja Didi and Dr. Sudha Vyas, while Gagan Sir’s character is fleshed out. But it’s not enough to make the viewing experience interesting or thought-provoking. The most frustrating aspect of the show is that it chooses the right topics, but it resolves them in the dumbest ways imaginable. Given how the financial status of the students in Kota wasn’t a topic of discourse in the first two seasons, it felt like the writers are going in the right direction with Meena’s arc in Season 3. However, their answer to that issue just shows how detached they are from reality. The same goes for Uday’s subplot. It feels like the writers are going to comment on the unfair expectations that kids nowadays are burdened with, but their love for melodrama completely sullies his character arc. In addition to that, the pacing of the show is off. The hour-long final episode is an atrocity. The dialogue-heavy scenes don’t have any sense of rhythm or flow. I think I spotted one split-diopter shot (which could’ve been achieved via VFX instead of an actual split-diopter lens), and that’s the only time the show intrigued me with its visual storytelling.
Coming to the performances in Kota Factory Season 3, I feel that it’s the only good thing about the series, even though the writing around the characters is either bland or repetitive. As mentioned before, Jeetu Bhaiya is the focal point of this season of the show, and Jitendra Kumar does get to evolve his acting skills. His micro-expressions are much better than the dialogues that he has to say. Rajesh Kumar brings a sense of gravitas and calmness to the show. We all know that Tillotama Shome is one of the most talented actresses working in the industry, and I’m sure that her turn as Pooja Didi must’ve been a walk in the park. Sohaila Kapur is alright, although her character gives the worst advice ever. Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Revathi Pillai, Urvi Singh, and Ahsaas Channa don’t get to do anything new. But since they are comfortable playing these characters, they continue to make them feel tangible and somewhat relatable. By the way, it seems like the writers, the director, and maybe More himself think that Mayur More is the next Kartik Aaryan. That’s why they keep giving him these long, unhinged rants. I sincerely hope More doesn’t become synonymous with this trope, because even Kartik Aaryan has realized that it’s annoying as hell and is trying to avoid playing such characters.
I’m not sure if Kota Factory Season 3 is the final season of the series or not, but I am sure that they should bring things to a close now because it has become irrelevant. At the time of writing this article, India is witnessing a massive spike in student suicides as entering premier institutes are becoming tough, coaching institutes are becoming expensive, and the prospects of getting a job at the end of the day are drying up. Additionally, the country is in the middle of a competitive exam scam that’s so immense that it has shaken every sane-minded person to their core. Students are angry; they are protesting; they are desperate, and there’s nothing that the government or the authorities are doing to quell their apprehensions. Meanwhile, here’s Kota Factory, still telling students that they should keep trying until they succeed while cherishing the friends they make along the way. It talks about therapy, but it’s not affordable for students. It paints policymakers as the most honest souls in the world and not the creators of the mess everyone is in. And it fails to tackle the complex issues faced by aspirants from all the different classes, castes, and religious backgrounds that exist in this country because it’s too busy selling the myth of teachers like Jeetu Bhaiya. So, please, stop watching nonsense like this and start striving towards a future that doesn’t erode your soul and deplete your resources.
