NEW DELHI: It is rare for artists to get an opportunity to speak through their work, says actor Tillotama Shome, who boarded "Kota Factory" as it is one of the few shows which deals with the aspirations and worries of the young generation. The Netflix series from The Viral Fever (TVF) is set in Rajasthan's Kota, considered the coaching hub for students aspiring to get into an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) by cracking the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The actor, 45, said she liked the subject matter they were tackling season after season and how they had built a strong foundation.
"We worry so much about the future as human beings but we don't invest in the future? The youth of our country, they are the future. And this was a show that really walks the talk and it was a show that finally puts the youth, their stories, aspirations, dreams and worries in the centre. "We have so many expectations and criticism about them.
But as adults, what do we do to enable the youth or to give them some space in our storytelling and cinema? This was rare for many reasons and when I got out of that call (with TVF), my news feed had the unfortunate and tragic news of students of Kota having ended their life," Shome told PTI in an interview. The city in Rajasthan is frequently in the headlines for aspirants taking their own lives and it is an issue that even the show tackles in its latest season. "Often as artists, we feel very handcuffed because we have chosen to speak through our wo.