2019 · Series
Kota Factory
TVF's black-and-white Hindi drama series following 16-year-old Vaibhav, who moves to the coaching hub of Kota, Rajasthan, to prepare for the IIT entrance exam.
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 18 October 2026, Kota Factory is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
The story
Sixteen-year-old Vaibhav Pandey leaves his home town of Itarsi for Kota, Rajasthan, the city of coaching centres where students from across India prepare for the IIT entrance exam. He fails to get into the top institute he wanted and settles for a smaller one, sharing a hostel and a tight schedule with new friends Meena and Uday. Amid tests, mess food and crushes, he finds guidance from Jeetu Bhaiya, a popular physics teacher who treats his students' worries as seriously as their marks.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
Students preparing for competitive exams, and their parents, will recognise much of this story about study pressure, friendship and mentorship. Netflix rates it U/A 13+, and it deals with stress and failure rather than violence; it is shot in black and white.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Kota Factory was created by Saurabh Khanna, directed by Raghav Subbu and produced by Arunabh Kumar for The Viral Fever (TVF). Khanna has said he wanted to tell a more positive story about Kota and exam preparation; several of TVF's creative team are IIT graduates. The show was shot in colour and graded to black and white in post-production.
The five-episode first season was released free on TVF Play and YouTube from 16 April to 14 May 2019, one episode a week. Netflix then acquired the series, and Season 2 premiered on Netflix on 24 September 2021. Season 3, directed by Pratish Mehta with Tillotama Shome joining the cast, followed on 20 June 2024. Netflix's India page now lists all three seasons, with Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu audio. Reviewers at The Indian Express, Koimoi and News18 praised its realism, writing and performances, especially those of Mayur More and Ranjan Raj.
The facts
- Language
- Hindi
- Hindi
- Hindi original
- Genre
- Coming-of-age drama, Comedy drama
- Director
- Raghav Subbu
- Cast
- Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Kota Factory in India?
- As of 18 October 2026, Kota Factory is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
- Is Kota Factory in Hindi?
- Yes. Kota Factory is a Hindi-language series.