Kota Factory Season 2 Review: Netflix Show About IIT Aspirants Attempts To Acknowledge The Toxic Culture

Kota Factory season two turns out to be a mediocre drama series that is not quite sure where the journey ends much like the IIT aspirants.

Rating:
2.5/5
Star Cast: Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa
Director: Raghav Subbu

Available On: Netflix
Duration: 45 Minutes/ 5 Episodes
Language: Hindi

Story: TVF's Kota Factory returns with Mayur More & Jitendra Kumar back in the heart of Kota, a city best known for its coaching centres. Mayur as Vaibhav, an earnest but unexceptional student along with his friends navigates the campus life with a bit of heart and a cool head.

kota factory

Review: Kota Factory returned with a bigger budget and a better streaming platform Netflix for the second season. The show follows through with the same pace with the same characters as season one but makes little transformation despite being backed by a major studio. Season one delivered on the promise to introduce the world of IIT prodigies as well as new aspirants in Kota, meanwhile, season two was expected to dive deeper into the more serious aspect of the toxic student culture.

However, neither Vaibhav, Meena nor Jeetu Bhaiya does anything to address the real issues. Even when they do it's sugar-coated enough to gaslight anyone who feels otherwise. Not only does Jeetu suggests it is acceptable to take your family for granted, he often finds ways to peer pressure students into following the herd despite knowing not all will survive the cutthroat competition.

Most of all, the show attempts to present the content in a relatable way for the wider audience but remains restricted to the student's dynamics. The same group that is looking for a way out of the toxic subculture of sacrificing your childhood for studying, but the show brings them back into the same world.

The first few episodes follow Vaibhav as he tries to adjust to his new schedule at Maheshwari classes, while Meena, Uday and Vartika join Jeetu Bhaiya's new coaching classes Aimers. The first episode begins with a speech dedicated to breaking the spirits of the students, valuing the rest of their lives on one exam.

Kota Factory Season 2: Release Date & Time Of Jitendra Kumar's Netflix ShowKota Factory Season 2: Release Date & Time Of Jitendra Kumar's Netflix Show

The speech is harsh enough to even make a working adult's self-confidence let alone students, and no amount of inspirational quotes from Jeetu Bhadiya in the remaining episodes make up for it. As an adult, unfortunately, the more episodes I went through, the more red flags I noticed not only in the teachers but also in the students.

While Vaibhav has turned to be the more supportive friend in season two, he isn't the listening kind. When Susu expresses some real concern about his future, instead of listening or giving Susu a chance to think Vaibhav quickly shuts him out. All because it does not sit well with him.

The makers have used Jeetu Bhaiya as a narrator who gives you the exact moral of the story in each episode. It comes from the intention to right the other wrongs does by the other characters, but it doesn't always work. The makers dedicated an entire episode to make girls feel more welcomed in the world of IIT but it reduces all female characters only to love interests and caring motherly figures.

Kota Factory ends up being more talk than substance, as each episode repeats the same struggle without bringing any change. By the end, the show feels more like a guideline to how to get through the prep stage of IIT than to watch these characters grow. In one of the episodes, Jeetu Bhaiya can be seen preaching about being better every day, if only the makers had taken the same advice.

Top 8 OTT Releases To Watch In September 2021: Money Heist, Black Widow, Mumbai Diaries, Kota Factory 2 & MoreTop 8 OTT Releases To Watch In September 2021: Money Heist, Black Widow, Mumbai Diaries, Kota Factory 2 & More

Overall, with little criticism or comedy, Kota Factory season two turns out to be a mediocre drama series that is not quite sure where the journey ends much like the IIT aspirants.

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