Starring: Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa, Revathi Pillai, Urvi Singh
Director: Raghav Subbu
With GCSE and A Levels pretty much back on track for young students in the UK, the exam stress will mount for those aiming for world-class universities. In India, parents’ obsession with engineering continues to soar, pushing every engineering aspirant in India to ace what is said to be among the list of toughest exams, the IIT-JEE.
Kota, known for its coaching institutes, gathers millions of top rankers to the centre of Rajasthan every year. TVF’s popular web series ‘Kota Factory’, now with its second season taking the internet by a storm on Netflix, aptly captures the students’ struggles as they traverse through the thick cloud of intensive competition hovering above them. The pun in the title is holistically displayed with the machine-like portrayal of the institutes manufacturing potential IITians by updating their inbuilt engineering software – IIT referring to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology.
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Like thousands of others entering the war zone, protagonist Vaibhav Pandey (More) wins himself a seat at a training centre;s Prodigy classes. Minutes into his new home and he is befriended by his housemates Meena (Raj), Uday (Khan) and Shivangi (Channa). Will this turn into a long-term friendship?
Humorous moments amidst the black and white backdrop lightens the mood, when stellar teacher Jeetu Bhaiya (Kumar) isn’t throwing away his preachy dialogues. One such that stuck with me: “When you have dreams, they are bound to shatter. Dreams are imagined and aims are achieved. It is then you’ll think about the path and strategy.”
In between all these aphorisms, Jeetu’s character leaves you in introspection about the faults in our modern education system and the repercussions of a herd-like mentality.
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Vaibhav’s frustrating rant about organic chemistry is director Raghav’s take on Kartik Aryan’s lengthy monologue from the film ‘Pyaar ka Punchnama’. Determination, confusion, resentment, emotional attachment and a wee bit of puppy-love adds to the storyline. I bet you will see your entire friend circle in every character.
Some familiar faces – Ahsaas Channa, Jitendra Kumar, Urvi Singh, Alam Khan – and some new- Mayur More, Revathi Pillai, Ranjan Raj, all having done justice to their roles. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing them more often on my screen and doubt that you will either.
Overall, ‘Kota Factory’ is a top pick of the week for iGlobal and highly recommended as yours too!
