The ongoing NEET protests at Jantar Mantar have once again brought to the fore the pressure, stress, and challenges faced by students in India’s education system. Thousands of aspirants have been raising the demand for fairness and transparency, and many Indian web series have already dealt with these issues with strong stories. By exploring everything from toxic coaching cultures to institutional corruption, some OTT series shows offer an onscreen mirror to the very struggles, broken dreams and structural flaws that have driven today's youth out onto the streets.
Indian OTT Series Based On Students Life And Education System
From series that depict the pressure of coaching centers like Kota Factory to the one that exposed exam scams like Shiksha Mandal and college life, these eight OTT series offer a realistic insight into the struggles, dreams, and determination of students.
1. Kota Factory (2019, Netflix)
Kota Factory follows the story of IIT students who want to join the Indian Institute of Technology. Mayur More played the role of Vaibhav Pandey, a student who is stressed due to attending coaching classes and Jitendra Kumar played the role of Jeetu Bhaiya, who turns out to be the mentor of the students. Kota Factory has three released seasons and the first season is also available to watch on Youtube.
2. Aspirants (2021, Prime Video)
This series tells the story of three friends preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination in Delhi. Naveen Kasturia plays Abhilash Sharma, who works hard to achieve his dream, while Sunny Hinduja appears as Sandeep Bhaiya, a senior who motivates students despite facing his own struggles. The series has three season with overall 15 episodes and first season is available on Youtube)
3. Shiksha Mandal (2022, MX Player)
Shiksha Mandal, which is based on real incidents, deals with corruption and scams in connection with medical examinations. In the movie, Gulshan Devaiah is cast as the teacher Aditya Rai, who stands against the education mafia, whereas TV actress Gauahar Khan acted as the police officer Anuradha Singh, who seeks to reveal the truth. The series has only one season with 9 episodes.
4. Laakhon Mein Ek (2017, Prime Video)
The series highlighted the kind of pressure that most of the students have on them due to their parents. In the series, Ritwik Sahore stars as Aakash Gupta, who is pressured to join a coaching institute for engineering despite his desires, leading to emotional and personal struggles.
5. Crash Course (2022, Prime Video)
Crash Course is all about the battle between two coaching centers and the influence of the competition on the life of the students. The role of Ratanraj Jindal, the owner of the coaching center, is played by Annu Kapoor, and Binny Agarwal is played by Udit Arora, who is closely involved in the business.
6. Physics Wallah (2022, Amazon MX Player)
Based on the life of educator Alakh Pandey, the series reflected his struggle to bring quality education at affordable prices to all students. The character of Alakh Pandey is played by actor Shreedhar Dubey, and Radha Bhatt plays the role of his sister Aditi.
7. Engineering Girls (2018, ZEE5)
Engineering Girls presents the everyday experiences of female engineering students. Barkha Singh plays Sabu, and Sejal Kumar appears as Kiaran, as they deal with studies, friendships, placements, and hostel life.
8. Operation MBBS (2020, Sony LIV)
Operation MBBS is based on the experiences of the first-year MBBS students struggling to cope with college life, a tough curriculum, and their individual problems. The role of Nishant Singh is performed by Ayush Mehra, whereas Anshul Chauhan performs as Sakshi, a hardworking student facing family expectations.