Erupt: Kota Factory Review
TheViralFever (TVF) has become a daunting force to be reckoned with in the Indian entertainment scene yet again with the release of the first season of Kota Factory.
Bittersweetly relatable to its target audience and armed with a realistic ensemble of characters, this commentary tracks the story of its protagonist, Vaibhav Pandey, as he negotiates the veritable tsunami of students in the race to enter the prestigious IITs — oft-considered the Indian equivalent of America’s MIT. He finds his solace in Meena, a “quota” admission, who works vigorously to justify his place here, and Uday, perennially-relaxed, whiling away his time, despite his insecurities.
What makes the series stand out is how it’s not about misfits. We tend to romanticize breaking the norm, going outside the box, often ignoring the reality of the situation. We overlook the general mindset, turning a blind eye to the people who fall in line, and Kota Factory explores just that. The struggles are that of making one’s way through this giant maze, both literally and figuratively, rather than pondering whether one even belongs there.
The series tries to challenge our education system, which is increasingly more of a rat race, by highlighting the uncomfortable truths and showing the grave reality of the situation: that no matter how much we rant about the ‘system’, there’s no way around it. Your performance on the D-Day is all that matters, no matter all your struggles and accomplishments along the way.
If whatever we have said thus far hasn’t convinced you, here are the three main reasons (among countless others — some would even say Jitendra Kumar’s presence is sufficient) that made this series worth our time, and would probably make yours, too.
Keep in mind, we have tried our best to prevent spoilers and the plot of the story hasn’t been revealed, but mild spoilers persist despite our best efforts; beware.
Reason 1: The Cinematography
As evident from its name, the story is set in the infamous streets of Kota, Rajasthan, a city that acts as the hub for the multi-million dollar coaching industry known best for how it lures countless hopeful-yet-naïve teens into its arms with the promise of spectacular all-India ranks in what is easily India’s most notorious massively competitive entrance examination: the JEE.
A city with an unseemly preference of Nokia brick-phones over smartphones. A city, with its outwardly glamour, projecting an image that it is a great centre of learning. A city, with the nasty undercurrents of a populace fragile, doubtful and most thoroughly confused. This city, with everything aforementioned and beyond, is brilliantly captured in the cinematography of Kota Factory.
For instance, consider this still.
Vaibhav’s auto is seen entering the predominantly-residential neighbourhood. The entire buildup to this scene, along with the opening credits, while a treat to the eyes, is also particularly symbolic.
Firstly, they signify Vaibhav’s insignificance in the massive factory that is Kota, along with its ant-like residents whose lives are uneventful and have just one purpose. Secondly, the vast, sprawling expanse of the gargantuan machine that is Kota is established in this shot as the camera almost dizzyingly pans over the city. It serves to intimidate, just like how the city itself is terrifying to a new prospective resident.
This effect is put to use again in the above frame, where the overhead shot captures how aspirants from all walks of life converge into this mega-factory with the exact same purpose, ready to join the assembly line, ready to be subjected to all kinds of processes as long as they turn out to be successful JEE-test-takers and IIT freshmen.
Another unmistakable and perhaps more obvious cinematographic masterpiece is the use of colour (or the lack thereof). The entire series is in black-and-white, perfectly capturing the lacklustre and sometimes indistinguishable lives of the residents of Kota as they go about their routines, making massive sacrifices to follow their (or more often than not, their parents’) dreams. Somehow, the lack of any colour has been pulled off masterfully. In fact, it draws the viewers’ attention to the way the scenes have been shot sans the risk of any distractions.
At the end of the season, as Vaibhav reaches a turning point, the scene blooms with colour in a way that is just as symbolic as almost every still in this series.
In this frame, the characters are seen rushing towards a replica of the Statue of Liberty — and this is the only episode where they take a real break from the break-neck pace of JEE preparation and Kota. Poignant, powerful perfection in a frame. They are running towards a debatably poor imitation of freedom, reminiscent of how this freedom they are experiencing is ephemeral. Reality is often crushing, terrifying and downright depressing… why not take a break from it while you still can?
Reason 2: The Accuracy
The series manages to capture the essence of life in Kota accurately, for the most part. Based on input gathered from many former Kota residents, a lot of the things mentioned in the episodes do exist in Kota or are at least inspired by the truth. Of course, as with any artistic medium, some liberty can be taken in order to dramatise and enthral.
For instance, some respondents vehemently opposed the idea of a romance so freely blooming in the confines of gender-specific hostels, which seems fair, considering how strict and conservative the landlords of these accommodations can be. However, it is equally possible that all of the exuberant expressions of endearment could have occurred beyond the walls of these hostels, away from judgemental eyes.
Some said the hateful rant against inorganic chemistry was overplayed and uncalled-for, but we believe the rant appealed to the overwhelmingly negative opinion of the general public towards the subject, so it’s excusable for the most part. The mess food was apparently overplayed as well, but some people also said it was accurate, so it’s safe to assume that’s also something very subjective based both on personal opinion and the hostel.
Despite these shortcomings, the resounding reply from everyone we questioned was this: the series captured everything else. The frustration, the hopelessness, the fear of failure, the struggle to get the best facilities at the topmost batches which culminates into begging, fake-crying, taking extreme steps, the cut-throat competition that unfortunately turns fatal for some, the corruption, the eternal tussle between coaching centers vying for glory and the best students, the terrible facilities the future of this nation, adoringly called ‘average’, endures in the name of a better future…
… but also newly-forged friendships, the mentor-figure who seems to be the only beacon of light, the fluttering of hearts near their crushes and the rare but enthralling attempts at rebellion. This series is a saga that would be all too real for some, but that is the beauty of it. Truth, perhaps a tad bit dramatised, is the fuel for this machine.
Reason 3: The Dialogues and the Acting
There is no denying the fact that the dialogues of this series are raw, real and drive their point home. Of course, an English translation of them wouldn’t do complete justice to the original intent expressed in Hindi, but even this approximation speaks volumes.
Consider Jeetu bhaiya’s dialogues, which are not just powerful but also carry the bite of a reality check. Him inspiring his students to allow problems to offend their ego in order to overcome them serves its purpose well.
“Children leave Kota within two years, but Kota doesn’t leave them for years.”
“Seven years. Four years to graduate and three years working at your job. It takes seven years to get over this shock [Kota]. And what’s the penalty for fraud in India? Seven years!”
“If you’re the smartest in your class, you’re in the wrong class.”
A classic dialogue reinforcing the need to constantly challenge yourself to improve, especially in the fiercely competitive world of JEE. These gems, along with the iconic, “This is your truth,” make his character truly memorable. Every aspirant must have a Jeetu bhaiya on their perilous JEE journey.
There are some other iconic dialogues as well. For instance, this particular dialogue captures the stark situation in Kota’s coaching centres far too well:
“The A1 batch students are my rankers. The rest are my bankers.”
This unapologetic and brazen remark shows how the culture in these institutes is a toxic faux-meritocracy. However bitter it might be, it is the truth.
Vaibhav’s love interest also manages to convey a myriad of emotions through her final dialogue, somehow managing to convey the sweetness of teen romance with the mundane rigour of academics.
“So let’s start the twelfth standard syllabus tomorrow?”
The reciprocation of love moulded into this simple request shows how much attention has been given to the nuances of dialogue in this series.
There’s also this gem from an otherwise unwise character, Uday.
“Our parents’ decisions might be wrong, but their intentions are never misplaced.”
Short, impactful and tugging all our heartstrings. Speaking of parents, Vaibhav’s mother calls him every night to ask him if he is able to focus on his studies. He always answers them despite his irritation, while struggling with his studies, deceiving himself all the while. The one time he does not pick up his mother’s call is the time he is finally motivated and focused, and his mother’s face at the end of her dialogue says it all.
Every character manages to effortlessly appear real to the viewers: the simple-minded but good-hearted Meena, the soft-spoken but strong-willed Vartika, lazy-but-faithful Uday, the dorky-but-sweet Meenal, the fierce and independent Shivangi, the ever-charismatic Jeetu bhaiya and of course, the protagonist himself. His acting compels us to believe that he has undertaken the journey of JEE himself. Their acting is top-notch and the writing does not waste their talents in the slightest.
If the above reasons aren’t sufficient to convince you to watch what we deem to be absolute art, perhaps it’s best you steer clear of it. Either that or you are a JEE aspirant yourself, in which case it is high time you stop reading this and hit the books, for the mock tests are hard and full of beyond-JEE-level questions.
This article was written in collaboration with Srinivas, G.s. AviNash, Surya Sridhar, Abhishek Ramachandran and Antony Terence.
