As someone who has first-hand experience of being torn between the upcoming competitive exams that determine your career path and the board exams at school, I finally felt heard when Kota Factory's Vaibhav gave a [Kaartik Aryan’s] The Pyaar Ka Punchnama style rant about the terrible conflict. If you focus on one, the other is naturally affected, and finding that fine line of balance is a tricky business. I might not have been a Kota student, but the dilemma I faced years ago while crushed by NEET preparation as I was also trying to score well in board exams felt fresh to me as I watched the protagonists go through a similar war for JEE. Millions of students find themselves on the receiving end of this torturous conflict every year, and the third season of Kota Factory has covered the challenge with the care it deserves.
Our favorite group of engineering aspirants are now in their second year of preparation, and as the date for their final battle approaches, the stakes are higher than ever. Clouds of frustration, confusion, fear, doubt, insecurity and powerlessness hang over students, and the smallest of triggers provokes an intense response. However, the determination to make it to India's most prestigious engineering institute, the Indian Institute of Technology, remains intact.
However, students are not the only ones in an awkward position this time. Everyone's messiah Jeetu bhaiya is also in a tough spot emotionally. One of his students taking his own life at the end of season two has pushed him into a black hole of hopelessness, guilt and depression. He struggles to answer calls, prefers to be isolated, and stays in a cluttered, lifeless room, where junk keeps piling up. The overwhelming responsibility of accompanying hundreds of people, both as a teacher and as a self-proclaimed big brother, is weighing on him, especially since he feels somewhat responsible for the tragedy. We even see him seeking help from a ready therapist to navigate this difficult phase.
Kota Factory Season 3 Review: The rose colored glasses come off
Jeetu Bhaiya's character seeks the help of a therapist in this season
For the first time, the makers of the show have taken her off the pedestal and addressed any attachment issues she might have. Now he's a traumatized teacher who no longer knows if it's good for him to stay as invested in his students' lives as he's always been or to draw a healthy boundary. The moral dilemma rings loud and clear. While she's fighting a deadly battle inside, there are also a few refreshing scenes where we can't help but take a stand for her students almost reflexively and feel immediately at home. In others, we see him attacking for no reason. The co-existing paradoxes have been covered brilliantly: a vicious cycle of what the therapist often refers to as returning to what feels familiar, even if it is causing you harm.
The whole Jeetu-therapist sequence is well-written and offers logical arguments, but I still think it's a bit out of alignment with the central tone of the show. Understandably, major tragic events can often lead to a complete personality makeover, but Jeetu bhaiya's transformation feels a bit over the top in some scenes.
let me explain He has been in Kota for many years and with a long list of admirers that he is shown to have, it is unlikely that this was the first time that he witnessed something like this, especially when Kota has turned every time most famous over the years for students. suicides
If the creators wanted to portray the event as the final blow to the brave facade he had been putting up until now, it makes us question everything we know about him. Was it ever really so bubbly? Did he feign positivity to divert attention from the dark reality? Is he unable to follow their philosophies? Was this somehow expected? More importantly figures like Jeetu bhaiya are not enough to help the millions of students take this dangerous journey? If the rotten education system has crushed someone as strong as Jeetu, is there any glimmer of hope? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the case, it's painful to see the stalwart of physics go through something like this.
Vaibhav and Vartika's relationship faces new challenges in the third season
While Jeetu bhaiya's arc will make you feel a little uncomfortable, the rest of the characters (Meena, Uday and Shivangi) are like the last time you saw them and bring the familiar breeze of refreshment. Each has given a nuanced performance and keeps the essence of the student-centered show intact. You will still feel that Meena is adorable and smile at her innocence. You will thank Uday for the comic relief he brings to lighten the mood. Shivangi remains the same one you would want to turn to for wisdom. I especially liked how the creators gave him more space this time, and through his character I recognized how frankly the efforts and challenges of medical assistants are often brushed aside, for no solid reason. I wish more of this had been covered earlier.
The creators also did not forget to highlight the impact of toxic commercialized education on teachers, which is often ignored. While in the first season, only a thin part of it was used in the form of a chemistry teacher being fired due to students' false comments, the third season gives the subject ample space. We see the hesitancy of the teachers to stay in Kota, the overwhelming guilt, the inability to make a big difference despite the desperate desire to do so, and the dilemma of having to choose between wearing the hat of a good teacher or a good business staff while running an educational institute. However, the main focus among the teachers remains on Jeetu bhaiya.
Tillotama Shome's role as Chemistry faculty at Jeetu's training center is shocking
Kota Factory has also managed to retain its signature cinematography style. We observe calculated frames, symmetrical placements of props, and many visual metaphors. Some of the scenes look like a well-ordered piece of art, based on the equations that Jeetu bhaiya keeps scribbling on the famous blackboard. Cinematographer Shreedutta Namjoshi has done brilliantly to carry forward the signature visual style of the show. This is also the first season of Kota Factory that does not feature a single color scheme (the first one had the Maheshwari Classes promotion and the second one had colored frame orientation).
Meena remains the lovable friend, who would help you in any situation
While the show manages to cover new and old challenges with an impressive experience, the overall tone of the show has changed a bit and you can feel the sadness trying to take over. You'll laugh less and feel more.
It makes me wonder if TVF has replaced its old simple and enjoyable formula of a relatable series with a more serious one. Kota Factory is not the only show from the production house that has evolved in complexity and themes, causing its otherwise cheerful characters to sink. In fact, Panchayat and Gullak took a similar turn, with the initially humorous shows taking a few darker tones. Interestingly, all three shows also went through personnel changes in the directing or scripting departments. Is it just a coincidence or has TVF decided to abandon its familiar feel-good style?
