Lust Stories - Movie Review

In 2013, prominent directors from Bollywood -  who cater to different genres and audiences - came together to make an anthology, ‘Bombay Talkies’, which beautifully showcased the stark contrast in each of their story lines and the reflection of each of the director’s sensibilities.

In 2018, ‘Lust Stories’ is an anthology directed by the same set of directors - Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar - focusing on the common theme of lust and how it is more complicated than love. Released only on Netflix, this movie boasts of an ensemble cast comprising of Radhika Apte, Neil Bhoopala, Bhumi Pednekar, Manisha Koirala, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sanjay Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Neha Dhupia and Vikky Kaushal.

The movie opens with the part directed by Anurag Kashyap, which was co-written for the screen by its leading lady, Radhika Apte. Kalindi (played by Radhika Apte) is a married, young professor, who has a one-night-stand with one of her students, Tejas (played by Akash Thosar). Kalindi is fierce, bold, but also extremely insecure. In beautifully shot monologues with Kalindi, one is made to understand that she seeks validation through this fling. She hopes this lust does not affect her, but it does - she becomes erratic, envious and in a scary, yet comical turn of events, displays how possessive she is about Tejas. Among all the 4 stories, I was extremely intrigued by this one – solely because it warranted a greater deal of explanation and squeezing it into a slot of 30 minutes was a daunting task. The director succeeds in doing so to a certain extent, but, I wished for more. Nonetheless, Radhika Apte brilliantly makes up for it, as the vulnerable, jealous and restless middle-aged woman, who seems to justify her antics through condescending thoughts.

The second short film is shot by Zoya Akhtar, starring Neil Bhoopalam and Bhumi Pednekar. Ajit (played by Neil Bhoopalam) is a typical white-collared single man, living alone in a tiny 1-BHK in the Maximum city. He is in a physical relationship with his maid, Sudha (played by Bhumi Pednekar). While it is evident that he only lusts her, Sudha secretly harbors feelings for him, which come down crashing when Ajit’s wedding is fixed. Zoya Akhtar specializes in using subtle nuances to highlight deep relationships and using a simple clutter-free story, she delivers here as well. In this short, Bhumi Pednekar barely gets 2-3 dialogues but uses her expressions and body language to drive a point, which is praiseworthy. I particularly liked her encounter with a fellow maid (played by Rasika Duggal), which acts as her moment of realization that being a domestic help, all she can expect is lust and not genuine love. I would also laud the cinematography on this one, for excellently using the dark, congested Mumbai flat to add to the tension of the narrative.

The next short in the series was directed by Dibakar Banerjee. Among all 4 of them, this one was the most unsettling story, that tries to break the mould that we usually see Indian women in. Reena (played by Manisha Koirala) is in a love-less marriage to Salman (played by Sanjay Kapoor), and seeks solace in the arms of her husband’s best friend, Sudhir (played by Jaideep Ahlawat). This story moves mostly in the form of conversations between a woman who seeks to free herself from the shackles of an unhappy marriage, her paramour who lusts for her but is unsure of taking the relationship ahead and a husband who treats his wife as a mere possession. What is unsettling is the sheer fact that Reena plays a bold, carefree and spirited woman, who puts her life before her teenage daughters – a reason her husband and her lover give her to reconcile with the man she does not love. Her relationship with Salman is beautifully explained – she does not love him. That does not imply she hates him, either. It was lovely to watch Manisha Koirala after a long hiatus, in a role which breaks the stereotype about women and their needs and sensuality. Jaideep Ahlawat is finally getting his due and he is impressive, just as Sanjay Kapoor.

The last one in the anthology is a light-hearted take on sexual satiation by Karan Johar. Megha (played by Kiara Advani) is a school teacher whose wedding is arranged by her parents to a boy-school bred novice, Paras (played by Vikky Kaushal). But, her marital life is marred by the incompatible sexual urges of the couple. In a comical sequence, Megha is compared to a cat who has ‘9 janam! Apne pati se 2 zyada’, while Paras calls himself a devil in slumber – an alligator. Clearly, the comparisons being used as a euphemism for their sexual prowess. Drawing inspiration from her colleague, Rekha (played by Neha Dhupia), a sultry librarian, Megha decides to take things in her own hands to reach where her husband was not able to (Yes! Pun intended!). Coming from Karan Johar’s stable, it has elements of comic relief and never becomes overtly uncomfortable for its sexual innuendos, though while trying to fit it into 30 minutes, the director seems to rush towards the end. Kiara Advani was a surprise and delivers quite an impressive performance. Vikky Kaushal has an endearing aloofness around his character, which makes him a treat to watch. Full points to Karan Johar for ruining his trademark background score from K3G for a scene in this movie!

Lust stories is a mixed bag – some simple stories told well and some complex stories tried to be told well. While all of them have done a worthy job, if I must rank the directors based on their work in this movie, it would be Zoya Akhtar > Dibakar Banerjee > Karan Johar > Anurag Kashyap. In terms of the performances from each of the shorts, it would be Radhika Apte > Bhumi Pednekar > Manisha Koirala > Kiara Advani. (Girl Power!!)

Best part is that it is free (if you have a Netflix account, that is), making it a definite watch.

My Rating – 3.5/5