'Kota Factory 3' On Netflix Review: Jitendra Kumar And Tillotama Shome's Human Performances Fail To Save This Preachy Show

After delivering two seasons that sparked important social media conversations, TVF’s ‘Kota Factory’ is back with its third season. The second season was aired in 2021. So naturally, fans of this Jitendra Kumar starrer were waiting with bated breath for the third season. TVF upped the ante by dropping the trailer of ‘Kota Factory 3’ earlier this month. The powerful trailer gave fans a hint of what this season holds. ‘Kota Factory 3’ is now available to stream on Netflix. In case you are planning to start your weekend binge by watching ‘Kota Factory 3’, then here’s all that you need to know about this series.

‘Kota Factory 3’: Story

Directed by Pratish Mehta, ‘Kota Factory 3’ opens exactly where the second season had ended. The students – Vaibhav Pandey, Balmukund Meena, and Uday Gupta (played by Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, and Alam Khan respectively) – are now in the final leg of their IIT preparation. The students are leaving no stone unturned as they prepare for their board exams and JEE Mains. During this preparation, they face several challenges. One of their classmates dies by suicide, they are crumbling under pressure, Meena faces financial issues, Vaibhav deals with jealousy, and Uday ends up breaking his leg as he meets with an accident while drinking and driving his scooter on the roads of Kota.

Amidst this, the season takes a closer look at Jeetu Bhaiya (played by Jitendra Kumar) who is visibly affected by the death of his student. He decides to take therapy to deal with his issues. At AIMERS, they are at a shortage of teachers. The third season takes a closer look at the lives of the students and Jeetu Bhaiya as they deal with their problems. Is Jeetu Bhaiya finally able to manage his stress? Do the students finally clear their JEE Advanced and NEET exams? Does their friendship stand the test of time? ‘Kota Factory 3’ deals with these themes and keeps you glued till the very end.

‘Kota Factory 3’: Performances

It was refreshing to see how Jeetu Bhaiya’s character was explored this season. His character was more humanized, and his larger-than-God image was shunned to make him look more like a person and less like a demigod entity. With this treatment, Jitendra Kumar was able to deliver a powerful performance which was not the case with the former seasons. The actor showed his full range of emotions as he explored being vulnerable on the screen for once.

His performance was beautifully complimented by Tillotama Shome who played Pooja Didi. It was refreshing to see Shome perform a different role than she usually does and seeing her excel at it only confirmed her acting prowess. Her screen presence is subtle but commanding. It’s difficult to tear your eyes away from her. Honestly, I felt that she was underutilized but that can be blamed on the fact that she was introduced this season, and her character was not given anything substantial.

Mayur Moore as Vaibhav Pandey delivers a bearable performance this season. The part where he stuck out like a sore thumb was when he tried to pull a Kartik Aaryan and deliver a raging monologue. That part simply undid all the good he had done in the former episodes. However, he redeems himself in the final episode where he shows his range as he breaks down.

Alam Khan as Uday Gupta delivers a satisfactory performance. The only part where he shone was in the hospital scenes where he was humanized and not reduced to a comic character.

Ahsaas Channa as Shivangi is your classic tomboy. She delivers nothing out of the ballpark because she is always seen playing similar roles. She is easy on the eye and is simply in her comfort zone.

However, if there is one actor who has consistently delivered an earnest performance, it is Ranjan Raj as Balmukund Meena. Throughout the three seasons, Raj has shown his range and has always managed to surprise you. His honesty shines through the screen and it is endearing to see him grow consistently throughout the seasons.

‘Kota Factory 3’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

‘Kota Factory’ is one show that does not promise to give you hope, but it promises to show you the reality. But in doing so, it has always managed to glamourize the struggle that pushes students to their breaking point. Kota is synonymous with the immense pressure it puts on teenagers. However, the psychological impact is rarely explored. It is only in passing do we get to know that a student died by suicide. That moment could have been used to initiate important discussions on the rat race but leave it to TVF to glamourize the struggle and call the dream an aim.

Additionally, the script continues to be preachy even though the characters are humanized in this season. At this point, the preaching comes across as a tale and an attempt at trying too hard. Understandably, for a lot of students and their families, JEE exams do hold a lot of importance. But when you take this factory which churns out toppers after toppers and puts it on a pedestal, you lose the sight to make important points.

The only bit about the show that leaves you with thoughts this season is how every character was given their moment. The camera work is efficient and so are the editing and the transitions. The best transition was when the days of their JEE Advanced exams were coming closer and the screen showed how many days were left. The songs are impactful, and they take the story forward with ease rather than overpowering the narrative. The editing could have been crisper by reducing the length of some of the reaction sequences.

‘Kota Factory 3’: Cast & Crew

Director: Pratish Mehta

Writer: Punnet Batra, Pravin Yadav, Nikita Lalwani, Manish Chandwani

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

Available On: Netflix (43-62 minutes each)

Duration: 5 episodes

Languages: Hindi

‘Kota Factory 3’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes.

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Kota Factory 3’ delivers an excellent screenplay. The performances by Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, and Tillotama Shome infuse a layer of humanness into the show. But despite it all, I cannot look past the fact that the show continues to be preachy and glamourizes a rat race rather than delivering a hard-hitting narrative. The show is saved by these performances and the technical aspects. I am going with 1.5 stars.