In Lust Stories 3, there is a kink that almost gives way for infidelity, a visually deliciously set up rendezvous between crime and lust, a break up sex that almost feels criminal during separation, and a retro wet dream of Hyderabad’s educated elite couple. As much as these one-liners sound exotic and slips perfectly into the idea of Lust Stories anthology that we had been seeing from the last two instalments, the latest one makes some risqué elements complemented with aesthetics done right.
In the first segment helmed by Vikramadtiya Motwane that features brilliant ladies, Radhika Apte as Padma and Konkana Sen Sharma as Shonali, they play neighbours who bond not just over their mutual love for Korean dramas. Their shared history of being married to husbands who are okay with dead bedroom situations, makes the daredevil Shonali to come up with swinging idea. Padma, being a wallflower, gives in later, only for the couple to plan a trip to execute their mission. There is something about repressed emotions, and when Shonali says that Indians haven’t won medals for marriages, as if it was a sport, there comes a balance when they have a hallucinated conversation with the two Korean ladies from the drama.
Did Shonali and Padma really get a chance to do it with each other’s husband is something that you should watch to find out, the segment gives some food for thought to know how it would be for women to take charge. And when one finally manages to do it, how does it spiral? But what about the husbands who are unaware of their wives’ plan and does infidelity strike their mind? Well, the segment has plenty of answering to do.
Next comes Kiran Rao’s much-aesthetically pleasing meet cute story of Lisa (Sana Thampi), who does nail art at a salon and a pizza delivery boy Karan (Gurfateh Pirzada) whose side hustle marries crime and lust. Their chemistry is spot on which majorly drives this segment, until when you find out that Gurfateh plays twins and you can now guess what happens when two people looking alike with a secret to hide can lead to with a hot girl in the mix. Sure, it is visually pleasing and two good looking people having time of their youth. An apartment that is seemingly humble with film props all over, thanks to Lisa’s roommate who works in films. But there is more when Karan sees it as a perfect hide out spot for his treasure. With all this going on, does the segment really live up to its visuals? There is little to consume, or perhaps that’s all it wants to offer, much like the youngsters.
Shakun Batra’s segment featuring Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan is story about Varun and Sainee who are filing divorce after five years of marriage. They are in their cooling off period, and what happens when break up sex turns into their therapy and the loop only gets toxically incompatible with their emotions? Out of the four segments, this one is the treasure trove of one liners with truths that hit hard – be it when the lawyer says to Varun ‘Don’t win and punish at the same time’ or when Sainee says ‘For the first time, when I like you sounds better than I love you’ in response to her husband’s statement.
Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan power through this segment that has less to give apart from their passionate love making every time they promise that it’s over. But that too is not free of ickiness when Sainee makes him say ‘My mom is manipulative’ as they go passionate on each other, somewhere making you think if this couple would work out even without the mother in the picture.
The last comes, set four decades ago, in 1987 Hyderabad where Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari play Badru and Saira, a literary couple in love in Vishal Bharadwaj’s short. Saira lives with Badru and in-laws, all doctors, as she teaches college. Everything seems to be perfect for Saira, her family is progressive and her bedroom life with Badru is a weekly ritual. But when Saira is teased wanting for more, thanks to her girl students, she begins to write a sex book, that soon becomes a hot seller among the men in town.
With dreamy like sequences where Saira imagines Badru being her fantasy, serving her one dream at a time, the segment mainly thrives on pensive thoughts. There is a quiet an understanding between lust, desire and female pleasure. The segment makes a good use of all these terms, but only gets to their just enough.
Lust Stories 3 is average at its best. There are some explorations that aren’t pushed to the capacity it could have been. With the star cast doing the heavy lifting, and visually tempting portrayals that make up for the lack of lustre in writing, Lust Stories 3 is still a much-needed part of the conversation surrounding female wants. Just that its hush hush writing does not get the desired climaxes.
