Netflix and TVF's 'Kota Factory 3' review: Jitendra Kumar's show adds colour to black-and-white lives

Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Tillotama Shome, Mayur More, Rajesh Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa, Revathi Pillai

Director: Pratish Mehta

Langauge: Hindi

When Kota Factory entered our lives, it took some time for us to respond to the world the makers created and the characters that lived in it. For anyone who has been a passionate and driven IIT-JEE & NEET aspirant would know the dark side of preparation, selections, and ultimate success. They say your struggles begin after you make it, and the show was and still is a testament to that. Given how murky it can be, it was appropriate for the team to give the show a black-and-white template, the only two colours that could possibly exist in an engineer’s life. Anubhav Sinha did the same with his underrated 2023 Bheed, which chronicled the tragedies of multiple characters and their complexities during the horrific pandemic that rendered the nation handicapped. Ashutosh Rana said in an interview that tragedies can never be colourful, and the statement echoes the sentiments of Kota Factory too.

The factory has come too far, from season one to three, and Vaibhav (the terrific Mayur More) has discovered a lot more about himself. And the iconic Jeetu Bhaiyaa (the shining Jitendra Kumar) still holds the baton for being an inspiring figure for anyone who feels lost or in misery. Writers Punnet Batra (Head Writer), Pravin Yadav, Nikita Lalwani, Manish Chandwa, and director Pratish Mehta craft a series that acts like a mixed bag of emotions for those who have lived, survived, and succeeded in this rat race. Kota plays a crucial role too, not just as a moniker but as a character itself. There would be no factory if there was no Kota. The everydayness of the engineering students in a solemn and alien city is a beautiful way to portray how an outsider would feel on a land he never saw or sensed. The clingy students, the stimulating teacher, the inevitable crush, the blandness of the mess food, the maiden tryst with masturbation, it’s an experience that feels nauseating and nostalgic at once.

But Kota Factory 3 , or the series as a whole, isn’t just a grim and galvanising portrait of engineering, it also delves into the psyche and personal gratification of its central characters. It hints at a life after and beyond education; it makes us smile at the tender moments but also creates palpable tension by throwing questions about what next. And what works wonders for this show on Netflix, and everything that TVF creates, is that the dialogues feel more like routine conversations that instantly hit home. Mind you, this is in no way a theatrical or turgid take on a burning issue. It’s an experience we all have to pass through by keeping it as close to reality as possible. Ultimately, the college campus also camouflages with the students that occupy it. The benches, blackboards, chairs brim with as much stench and fragrance as humans. Without either, there would be a Kota but no factory. And that’s what makes the show both scary, and successful.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Kota Factory 3 is now streaming on Netflix