The
new
season
takes
the
students
out
of
their
preoccupation
with
studies
to
other
problems
—
jealousy
of
another’s
easy
success,
a
blip
in
a
romance,
financial
crunch,
meltdowns,
discovers
Deepa
Gahlot.
When
the
first
season
of
Kota
Factory
came
out
in
2019,
it
brought
the
Rajasthan
city
to
the
notice
of
audiences,
who
may
not
have
been
aware
of
the
intense
competition
and
soul-crushing
slog
that
goes
into
the
preparation
for
entrance
exams
of
elite
engineering
and
medical
courses.
Getting
in
means
success
and
financial
stability
for
the
whole
family.
The
flip
side
is
the
fear
of
failure
that
has
led
to
an
inordinately
high
number
of
suicides
among
the
coaching
class
students
of
Kota.
Subsequently,
this
grim
reality
of
youngsters
cracking
under
the
pressure
of
expectations
and
shattering
of
dreams
has
been
making
it
to
the
news.
The
solutions,
like
locking
terraces
or
putting
springs
in
fans,
hardly
tackle
the
actual
core
of
the
issue:
The
shortcoming
of
the
Indian
education
system.
TVF’s
Web
series
went
into
the
classrooms
and
hostel
digs
of
Kota
but
sanitised
the
air
of
anxiety
that
must
permeate
the
walls
of
the
commercial
coaching
classes
for
whom
topping
exams
is
more
important
than
the
mental
or
spiritual
health
of
the
students.
Then
there
was
Jeetubhaiya
(Jitendra
Kumar),
who
was
different:
The
popular
physics
teacher,
with
an
aphorism
for
every
crisis.
It
was
in
Season
2
that
a
suicide
occurred
and
in
Season
3,
directed
by
Pratish
Mehta,
that
Jeetubhaiya
is
assailed
by
self-doubt
(and
recurring
mould
on
his
walls)
that
leads
to
therapy.
The
star
teacher
of
Kota
had,
in
the
last
season,
started
his
own
institute
called
Aimers
because
he
always
told
his
students
not
to
dream
but
to
aim,
as
dreams
are
just
seen
but
aims
are
meant
to
be
achieved.
In
Kota
Factory
Season
3,
also
in
black
and
white
like
the
earlier
two,
the
same
core
group
of
students
returns,
to
carry
forward
the
plot
from
coaching
to
the
make-or-break
exam.
The
fine
bunch
of
actors
include
Vaibhav
(Mayur
More),
Balmukund
Meena
(Ranjan
Raj),
Uday
(Alam
Khan),
Vartika
(Revathi
Pillai)
and
Shivani
(Ahsaas
Channa).
A
new
character
is
added
in
the
form
of
Poojadidi
(Tillotama
Shome),
whose
approach
to
teaching
is
like
Jeetubhaiya‘s
—
make
the
kids
feel
for
the
subject,
not
just
pass.
The
new
season
takes
them
out
of
their
preoccupation
with
studies
to
other
problems
—
jealousy
of
another’s
easy
success,
a
blip
in
a
romance,
financial
crunch,
meltdowns
—
but
the
focus
shifts
from
the
students
to
Jeetubhaiya‘s
angst
(which
gives
the
actor
more
performance
challenges).
He
becomes
aware
that
he
takes
on
too
much
of
the
emotional
burden
of
the
students,
trying
to
be
the
balm
for
everyone’s
bruises,
and
something’s
got
to
give.
Meanwhile,
reality
gets
darker,
the
education
system
more
toxic,
its
purveyors
more
avaricious.
Jeetubhaiya
may
fly
off
the
handle
when
a
colleague
(Rajesh
Kumar)
suggests
that
they
focus
on
the
brightest
students
but
even
to
his
own
ears,
his
words
about
making
the
effort
regardless
of
the
results
sound
hollow.
Because
the
coaching
classes
of
Kota
and
the
town
itself
flourishes
because
it
promises
toppers.
The
students,
often
seen
like
ants
scurrying
about
in
top
shots,
are
just
fuel
for
the
money-making
machine.
The
real
achievement
of
Kota
Factory
is
that
it
inspired
other
shows
(Crash
Course,
Shiksha
Mandal)
and
films
(12th
Fail,
All
India
Rank)
to
bring
attention
to
the
atrocities
of
the
education
system
in
which
aptitude
comes
last.
Kota
Factory
3
streams
on
Netflix.
Kota
Factory
3
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