Prashant Raj: An outsider’s perspective is missing from Alma Matters because we wanted to tell an authentic story about IITians

For IIT Kharagpur alumnus Prashant Raj, shooting Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream was not just about reliving his days at the prestigious institution; it was also an opportunity to delve deep into the minds of the students as they are shaped to be the country’s crème de la crème.

The three-part docuseries, which released last week on Netflix, is co-directed by Prashant and Pratik Patra, and sheds light on the lesser-known realities of the students during their stint at the country’s premier engineering institution.  

We caught up with Prashant recently to know how being an alumnus helped in the making of the docuseries, why an outsider’s perspective is missing and more.

How was it to be back at IIT-Kharagpur after almost two decades?

Let me tell you something personal. Ever since I graduated in 2004, I used to have these nightmares that I have missed clearing a subject and so, I am back on the campus to take the exam to get my degree (laughs). I initially thought I’m the only one who’s having these recurring nightmares, but many of my friends have had these post their graduation. At that time, I thought that maybe I have imposter syndrome, but it was a strong indicator of my mental state back then.

In June 2017, I was visiting the campus with one of my juniors from IIT Kharagpur and I coincidently ran into one of my best friends from childhood, who had just joined as a professor. Honestly, I can’t express my exact feelings about this incident but it was surreal like going back into a time machine and somehow it inspired me to go ahead and make something like Alma Matters.


Did you stay at the institution for almost a year to make this docuseries?

We didn’t stay full time for a year, but we shot this over a period of 18 months. So, we usually went to the college whenever there were big or important events happening. Being an alumnus, I knew what were the major things that we had to cover. So, we went there at least seven times and shot the series in 80 days.


How much did being an alumnus help in making Alma Matters?

A lot. Being an alumnus helped me get access not only in the physical sense but also inside the minds of the people there. That helped me tell this story. The institute and authorities were welcoming. They trusted me and that led to us getting permission. The faculty and students too had faith in us and contributed to their parts in the show.

They say the grind to get into an IIT never really stops even after entering the institution. Is this true?

Our society puts the IIT-JEE at the top of the list of the country’s important entrance exams. There is an assumption that once you get into IITs, your life is set. Your life surely changes, but it doesn’t get set just by entering the institution.

The grind exists there because toppers find themselves among other toppers from each city of the country. And it doesn’t really stop there. Every person who is contributing to the nation’s GDP or is heading a unicorn start-up goes through the grind and struggle while finding or creating their own path. So, it’s a process that never ends and is present in every phase of life.


Comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath was also part of the show. Any particular reason for roping him in?

We needed someone who could directly connect with the audience. A lot of things that Biswa said are the stuff that we wanted to say and the audience needed to know and believe in. Biswa was also a junior from IIT Kharagpur and I’ve known him for a long time.

Moreover, I could see myself with the people I featured in the series; most of them are the younger version of myself. Keeping that in mind, I knew I also needed to feature one more person, who was my senior from the university and a brilliant speaker, Pradeep S Gautam. We needed the alumni to deconstruct things for the viewers.

Many people are saying that an outsider’s perspective, however, is missing. What’s your reaction?

It’s a fair question. But I would want to understand what an outsider perspective is. I can’t speak for one because I am not an outsider. In order to make the story authentic, we needed to show the thoughts and perspectives of the IITians of Kharagpur rather than an outsider. Maybe if I make another series on a university like JNU, I will have an outsider’s perspective being one myself.