Friday Flix Web Series of the Week: Kota Factory
Since the mini web series culture is becoming prevalent in our society and let’s be real, only a serious binge-watcher will invest his/her time in a series for a long time. Miniseries, in that case, wins the game! However, a few of the elements play a vital role in catching up people’s attention. And today we will discuss all the good elements of The Viral Fever (TVF)’s miniseries Kota Factory!
Kota Factory web series – cast
Kota Factory (2019) is a – fictional but real lives inspired – mini web series by The Viral Fever created by Saurabh Khanna. The series is directed by Raghav Subbu. The tragi-comedy web series comprises of 5 episodes – each episode being 40 minutes long – premiered on TVFPlay and YouTube simultaneously. The cast of Kota Factory includes Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, Jitendra Kumar, Ahsaas Channa, Alam Khan, Urvi Singh, and Revathi Pillai. The music for the series is composed by Karthik Rao and Simran Hora. The cinematography is by Jerin Paul.
Kota Factory Review
Set monochromatically in the Indian city ‘Kota,’ Kota Factory revolves around 16-year-old Vaibhav’s (Mayur More) life at Prodigy Coaching Center. Despite getting 90% in 10th grade, he couldn’t get into Maheshwari – the best coaching of Kota – he settles for Prodigy. Kota is a place that became a factory for students who want to crack IIT-JEE (Indian Institutes of Technology – Joint Entrance Exam). Vaibhav, a bright, but confused student comes from Itarsi city with a dream to pass the entrance exam to get into IIT. The series magnificently depicts the life of a student and his struggles, the competition, and the pressure. Kota Factory defines the two-sided story of the trauma that education brings in a student’s life.
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Kota Factory and the monochromatic life of a student
The series after the very first grand bird’s eye view of the city dips into the monochromatic theme and you wouldn’t even notice it until the episode ends. The storyline is gripping from the very first episode. A student can relate how the pressure turns them into a soulless, quieter, and even mellow person in general all in ‘sepia.’ Vaibhav’s life depicts the exact feeling throughout the series. For this web series, the idea of a monochromatic theme is the first time in India making it a unique concept for The Viral Fever.
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Unbreakable bonds
No, I am not talking about ‘Chemistry ke bonds’ here, I am talking about friendship ka bond, which is one of the major glue elements that stick the whole series intact! Vaibhav meets Meena, Uday, and Shivangi the night he shifts into his flat. And their bond becomes unbreakable despite being complete opposites they are united in their tangibility. Meena (Ranjan Raj) a sweet, underprivileged lad with extra intelligence is as confused as Vaibhav, but still studying into a different section which was considered brainy. Vaibhav – who due to his late admission got into A10 a less prioritized section – tries his luck in reshuffles to be upgraded into a more-brainier section of Prodigy is where we get introduced to Jeetu Bhaiyaa!
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Jitendra Kumar aka Jeetu Bhaiyaa
Well if I say, Jeetu Bhaiyaa is a teacher-cum-mentor-cum-friend, this will not disprove anything. Jeetu Bhiayaa comes off a little straightforward, but he always keeps his student’s problems and their confusions on top. He teaches Physics at Prodigy. And not being able to get into IIT, he wants to polish Vaibhav’s skills. His way of teaching – for every student – is unconventional and his dialogues are one of the strongest parts of the series. His scene sequences are effortless and dialogues are delivered smoothly.
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Winning cinematography
Cinematography is definitely one of the most beautiful parts of Kota Factory. How one can relate to the ethos and pathos that defines Kota can be deeply felt in the cinematography. The shots, frames, and transitions are well connected.
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Relatable songs
It’s hard to ignore that TVF makes wonderful songs, even for a mini web series. Kota Factory features Karthik Rao, Simran Hora, and Ankit Tiwari’s amazing playlist. The series opens up with Yaaron, and goes on with Mohobbat Zindabad, Main Bola Hey!, and The Gentleman. The songs are completely hooking and fill all the gaps perfectly.
Is Kota Factory available on Netflix?
Kota Factory is not on Netflix, it is however available on YouTube. The production house revealed that season 2 will be available on Netflix.
Overall Kota Factory is a treat to watch. It is entertaining, it is brilliantly acted. Vaibhav’s acting added weightage to the character. Scripting, dialogues, music is coherent. If you are an engineer you would relate to it on another level. The monochromatic theme stayed with me throughout the series. Binge or cringe? Definitely BINGE!
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