The Kota Factory Season 2 is already out on Netflix and early responses are amazing. Just like the first season, Jeetu Bhaiya is the MVP of the show who remains everyone’s favourite. The Raghav Subbu directed series based on education in coaching centres features Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan and Ahsaas Channa in pivotal roles.
After the tremendous success of Season 1, the makers had the opportunity to move to Netflix with a bigger budget. While many would see it as a great opportunity, it was rather a challenge to utilise the funds and move ahead with an open-minded approach. The second season has 5 episodes in total but despite getting that Netflix label, one would agree that the new season is nowhere close to the first season.
The way the story of IIT aspirants from the coaching streets of Kota was conveyed in the first season of Kota factory was enough to establish a connection with the audience. However, the same can’t be said about the second season. The show’s target audience was teenagers and the first season did well in creating a buzz among the teenage population.
Storyline of Kota Factory Season 2
When a teenager is sent to a place like Kota with or against his wish, to prepare for top IITs and Medical College in the world, he/she sacrifices a lot of dreams. To find a stable career, the childhood and teenage years of a student are lost. They are consumed in books and coaching manuals.
The story of Kota Factory Season 2 looks more interesting when seen through the lenses of Vaibhav, the narrator. Securing a seat in top engineering and medical institutes in the country is a monumental task and getting a seat there makes you among the 1 to 2 percent from the student community who makes it ‘big’. But the dividing line that is drawn between those who qualify and those who can’t immensely pressures students. This pressure and the challenges of a student have been beautifully portrayed in the first season.
A similar attempt was made in the second season of Kota Factory well. While the aim of the show was to achieve greater goals in life, it focuses more on the challenges and that may be a dissuading factor in students opting against going to a place like Kota and preparing for top competitions. This is the problem that critics see with the second season.
The second season of Kota Factory comes with a mixture of emotions and has two episodes dedicated to bodily fluids. Vaibhav’s studies are affected by a mid-term jaundice that further magnifies the struggles. Critics, however, see a lot of disappointing turns in the series with expectations falling flat. Since the series is titled Kota “Factory”, it is evident to see students being portrayed as machines, working tirelessly to achieve their goals and get a seat in one of India’s premium institutes.
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At the same time, the show makers commit the mistake of romanticising the struggles thousands of students like Vaibhav have to face in a town like Kota. While there is nothing denying the fact that the days spent in the company of friends during school and college are the best days of our lives, one can not simply ignore the burden one has to bear while in a place like Kota.
The Maheshwari’s in the show is an example of how deep-rooted monopoly is in our education system with top institutes enjoying undisputed authority and dictating the terms without sparing a thought for the mental health, wellbeing and state of mind of students who come to them from all across the country with high hopes.
But the review of Kota Factory can’t be complete without discussing Jeetu Bhaiya (Jitendra Kumar), who appears to understand the mind and heart of students. Whenever the writers are stuck, they turn to Jeetu Bhaiya for an escape and all the loopholes are covered. Jeetu Bhaiya is the soul of Kota Factory. The main crowd puller, Jeetu Bhaiya, is like a magician in the show who has a story for every complete problem to make the solution easier. Only that the character is far from reality.
While Jeetu Bhaiya does well in not just teaching but boosting the confidence of students with his lectures, there is no point in the show where he turns to his students to say that IIT is not the end. That there can be a better life even without studying in IIT and that failure is as normal as success.
He is a moral leader who is always on his toes to help the students, but he doesn’t pay a little attention to a life without IIT. The audience of Kota Factory Season 2 is not just 12th pass students planning to crack an IIT exam. Despite having such a wider audience, the entire buildup is towards the entrance exam that is approaching thousands of students, including Vaibhav and his gang.
