- Release Date: 20/06/2024
- Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Revathi Pillai, Ahsaas Channa
- Director: Pratish Mehta
A Tale of Repetitive Experiences, Diminished Characters, And A Frustrating Culmination
Kota Factory’s Season 3 looks set to be the final season of the series, and that would be a good thing. After two seasons, this was the first time I felt that the series was losing steam and trying to unnecessarily elongate a runtime that it had not earned with what was on display. I felt the same towards the end of the second season, but the finale was so profound and disarming that I figured I wasn’t too bothered by the lengthy portions that were not strictly important to the plot. I believe that this approach to storytelling helped compound the impact of the series finale as so much time was spent on lighter moments and then for the series to turn so morose and shocking so quickly led to a telling blow in terms of impact.
In this season again, there was a prolonged period when the proceedings became unnecessarily tedious and not in a good or cheerful way. Sadly, this time, there was no harrowing finale to cover up for all that was lacking in terms of engagement. It is a fact that the characters and the actors portraying them were so good at what they were doing that it was easy to overlook the storytelling issues during the portions leading up to the finale. But once you think about it putting aside the phenomenal performances, it becomes pretty obvious.
Jeetu Bhaiya’s Questionable and Frustrating Transformation:
There were a few specific things about Kota Factory that I absolutely loved in the first two seasons. One of them was the character of Jeetu Bhaiya, who was like a superhero for the students. They often found themselves in various kinds of trouble—emotional, academic, financial, romantic, physical—and Jeetu Bhaiya was always there to give them the perfect solution. While his solutions never solved the problems outright, they gave the kids the willingness and strength to fight their problems and make their way through them. This was not only a heartwarming aspect of the series but was also central to all that the story was trying to teach us all.
In this season, Jeetu Bhaiya is reduced to an emotionally broken man who is so busy dealing with the death of his students who committed suicide in the previous season that he forgets he still has hundreds of students looking up to him for guidance, support, and handholding. If that was not enough, his erratic behavior throughout the season made his students anxious on numerous occasions proving detrimental to the well-being of the very students he is trying to aid. While he used to be an oasis of calm for his students, he quickly transformed into an unpredictable and sometimes hurtful man who was not sure of what he was going to do with his students or what role he wanted to play in their lives.
This was a creative choice, and I am sure it was made to show the vulnerability of a mercurial figure like Jeetu Bhaiya and how quickly even an infallible hero like him could start going wrong. Sadly, by doing this, the writers robbed the series of its most charismatic and inspiring aspect. Jeetu Bhaiya’s appearance on screen always signalled a period of bliss and accomplishment, leaving the audience with some valuable life lessons. Jitendra Kumar does such a great job of playing the character, honestly depicting every insecurity, frustration, and outburst, that he literally quadruples every problem I had with how the character was written and what it meant for the series and the placement of the character in terms of the others.
As the story progresses, the character takes a decision which I was absolutely frustrated by. There was absolutely no need for him to do that, and it only cemented my belief that Jeetu Bhaiya was, in fact, an escapist. This nullified everything good that he had said and done in the previous seasons, and I didn’t have a problem with how Vaibhav reacted to him in the last scene of the series. He completely deserved that. Sadly, by culminating the series in this manner, the creators turned an otherwise upbeat story that was purposefully uplifting the audiences with its story and characters into one with a bleak and tragic culmination that would leave even the most inspired and upbeat of audiences frustrated and dejected.
Well-Made But Uninspiring:
Don’t get me wrong. The series is well-made and features performances just as good as in its previous seasons. However, the end result for me was so frustrating and uninspiring that, even though it brought tears to my eyes, I wasn’t able to accept a series that was this inspiring culminating with so little hope and silver lining. There are a few characters whose arcs end well, and I felt great about all that they had achieved, but the way the story of the protagonist ends left a lot to be desired. I have already mentioned my issues with the primary character of Jeetu Bhaiya, and these two factors combined brought down the likability of the series for me.
New Characters and Their Rushed Arcs:
Two characters in the series are given meaty roles, and the audience is led to believe that these two characters will make up for the void left by the decision Jeetu Bhaiya has taken. These characters, played by Rajesh Kumar and Tillotama Shome, are built up too hurriedly and are given significant moments and rushed character arcs that didn’t necessarily work for me. No one can fault the two actors for their performances, who did a fantastic job. The fact that I was able to accept all that was shown without the characters and the writing failing was because of the conviction and straight-faced believability that the two actors brought to the sequences. However, when you think about it, you realize that their respective arcs and all that their characters are shown pulling off with the students were not only rushed but also not earned. This was another issue that I had with the series.
Final Words:
Kota Factory’s Season 3 doesn’t have anything new to offer in terms of the experiences of the aspirants. This significantly plagued the series, as the aspirants are the lens through which the audience experiences the entire story. Watching them do the same things over and over again doesn’t bode well for a series whose primary strength is its writing. The creators maintain the high production quality and strong performances that made the first two seasons so compelling, but it ultimately falls short in storytelling. The hasty development of new characters and the disappointing direction taken with Jeetu Bhaiya’s arc leave the season feeling frustrating and unsatisfying.
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Despite moments of emotional impact, the lack of a hopeful and inspiring resolution undermines the series’ previous accomplishments. As an admirer, it’s disheartening to see a show that once inspired so much culminate in a way that feels so harrowing. Nonetheless, the series remains a noteworthy exploration of the pressures faced by students, even if its final chapter didn’t quite live up to expectations.
Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)
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