We believe we see through the glass, but sometimes that glass is a barrier, it’s opaque and sometimes that glass is a mirror. The AIR 1 sits behind that glass in a BMW, the ones standing outside aspire to be in it, they see themselves in the same seat and the rest of the world watches through the rear-view mirror, lost far behind in aspect of that one road. The noise of celebration does not break the glass of the car, but within a year, breaks the glass that protects somebody’s dream, or may I say AIM. We called it aim, because we were asked to, thinking we will reach it, but did it not just remain a DREAM at the end?
Kota Factory is a series that shows Vaibhav and his friends in a queue of events as they attempt to crack JEE, as a series by TVF, the drama not only has a touch of reality, but feels real, too real if we count the populace that sees themselves in it, because a lot of cast and crew has been through this process, the story touches us all. The name itself ‘Kota Factory’ insinuates, the series would have a suitable amount of metaphorical art, often depicting personal emotions in physical objects, such as the scene with the car; when the three brother-like friends run on the ramp or when their agony aunt stares at the mould in his ceiling.
The camera shows us the world of those AIMERS from behind the pages of their notebooks or through their boards in the classrooms, because that is all THEY could see all this time, right? Categorization: A1, A2, A3, A4… but this depicts more, the category that society puts you in, Sabka hogya, sirf mera nahi hua, log hasenge mujhpe—What category shall the world put him in? A10?
The beautiful sense poured into the story, focuses on those who are lagging, helping those who couldn’t reach their aim, supporting those who have lost hope, finally an act that shows not the story of the ten thousand but of the rest Eleven Lakhs. The rest includes a lot of them, apart from the students, what everyone else goes through, he meant it when he said, the entire family gives the examination, but all this time, he was giving a test too. The damage to his house was the damage the loss of hope of that girl gave to him, the mould on the wall grew and so did his despair, his sanity, the darkness of the mould was his darkened thoughts, the soaking of the mould was the soaking of negativity into him. Maybe the therapist was right, leaving was the right solution, how long can you fix something? How many layers can you paint over a wound? Although, this doesn’t mean things cannot be fixed, they can, but human beings don’t, because they don’t need to be fixed, they need to be accepted.
Every life, be it of a student who showed consistency and won it over, be it of a student who aimed too high that people thought she needs no help, be it of a student who was average but determined, be it of a student who we all thought was capable but couldn’t reach the goal, be it of a student who wanted no part in it, was showcased in this.
One thing to disagree here is only the fact that they said don’t call it a dream. Why? You see, there are stairs, to a destination and you take leaps to reach on the top, but—what if—the stairs slowly start to take shape of a ramp that you once used to run on with your two friends playfully and now you do not know how to proceed because they are not with you? That is Vaibhav now… once happy, now separated, friends are happy for each other, but being left behind always hurts. Maybe now, he could call it a dream, aims have paths, but dreams don’t, they are just desires, that we feel abysmal amount of passion for. Maybe they called it an AIM because the astounding exhilaration of a DREAM is indescribable.
The city that has countless students, many believe that it is the only road to be taken, does it matter if the road taken was the road that was supposed to be taken or the road not taken because journey is always going to be different, some might reach a cliff that they fall from because they do not consider going back to the start as an option, some keep running through a maze, but the world forgets, how some were actually never meant to even embark on the journey. Some force their expectations on their children as if asking for it is all it takes to fulfil it. Does anyone ask—if the traveller is even ready for the bag pack they are being offered to carry on their shoulders? We all are offered dahi-cheeni before the exam, but why does nobody offer it when you start the effort to reach the destination?
Finally, somebody asked the question that nobody asked, sichega kon? Hum jo murjhaye? Thamega kon? Hum jo gir jaye? And also answered, Sabar ki ungli thamle, and asked back the most important, tu tere raste, main mere raste, rona hai fir kyu? Chal haste haste, afterall, if you hate the process, what makes you think that you will love the outcome? Even Jeetu Bhaiyya states it, “Dikkat toh tab honi chahiye, jab tumne apna raasta khud na chuna ho.” Not everyone can love the same thing, not everyone can want the same life, so before you take a leap, how about we consider one last question—Do you have the Kota factor? Who has it?
It is a factory; the package is a product until the insides burst out and we realise they are humans. Did the AIR1 have the Kota factor? Yes. Did the AIR4 have the Kota factor? Yes. Did the AIR154 have the Kota factor? Yes. Did the winner of Kota, Vaibhav, but apparently a failure that was perceived by the society have the Kota factor? Yes. All of them did, because Kota factor is a side effect of being made into a new product that is launched upon the world, or may I say, unleashed? You don’t go into Kota with it, you leave Kota, with it. As the writers themselves wrote, a student leaves Kota, but Kota never leaves a student, it’s not just a place, it is a lifestyle.
The Black and White, maybe that’s how they perceive their lives to be like, maybe that’s how the world sees them or maybe both. They don’t have time to get sick, or be scandalous, their life has to be colourless or the society drains it of colour? For a very brief moment, we witness Vaibhav in colours, the dull pastel walls, when he changes his institute, he briefly transports into a colour filled world and then reality hits, but again, who is defining that reality? This is a story of acceptance, of excellence of character, of trial, most of all it is a story of identity, the AIR1 shall always be an AIR1, and a repeater shall be tagged as a repeater, we see a student crying because he is AIR 4, even amongst those who clear, there is another battle altogether of being the one single best.
Kota Factory lined up their products, at a price exceptionally high.