Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Konkona Sen Sharma and Radhika Apte need to be immediately cast as best friends, sisters or partners of whatever kind in another series, because they were a riot to watch in Lust Stories 3 as BFFs trying to spice up their sex lives. They star in the anthology’s first segment and give it a fun kick-start. The middle is kinda middling, but thankfully, the final story finishes strong too.
What’s most surprising about ‘Lust Stories 3’ is that three out of its four tales look into the sex lives of married couples. One’s about boring sex, another is about no sex happening, and a third is about sex being the only thing ‘happening’ in the marriage. However, the fact that all these stories lean into comedy while exploring desire makes the film slightly more entertaining than Lust Stories 2. There’s a laid-back cinematic charm to the anthology that keeps even its weaker moments fairly enjoyable.
Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane (Black Warrant, CTRL), the first story follows Konkona Sen Sharma and Radhika Apte as Shonali and Padma, two best friends from Kandivali who take inspiration from a Korean series to revive their dead sex lives. Them texting each other to simultaneously stream the latest episode of their fav K-drama might be relatable to many. Abhishek Banerjee and Vijay Varma play their husbands, who seem perfectly content watching funny videos on their phones while their wives pine for more. The tone is light-hearted and comedic, even though the women’s sexual frustration is tinged with ache, longing and loneliness.
Konkona Sen Sharma’s Shonali is the bolder of the two friends, pushing the more conservative Padma into a harebrained plan inspired by a K-drama to get some action. It’s a fun, quirky short film, with both Konkona and Radhika hilarious as co-conspirators, and their “bestie” energy absolutely trumps the tepid chemistry they share with their male co-stars. The men are basically just accessories here, while the women gleefully drive the plot. Of-course things don’t go as planned, there are speed-breakers and an accident, which make it more fun.
The second film in Lust Stories 3, directed by Kiran Rao, follows Karan (Gurfateh Pirzada), a pizza delivery guy in Mumbai, and his budding romance with nail artist Lisa (Sana Thampi). Sparks fly when they spot each other on the street, they slide into each other’s DMs and, soon enough, into bed. But Lisa has no idea that Karan has a shady side hustle, and when he starts sneaking into her flat behind her back, things get complicated. There’s attraction, sex, deception and some good old-fashioned betrayal.
The chemistry between the leads is serviceable, and the story has an interesting twist that makes its comical ending work. Besides, Kiran Rao and her team capture Mumbai and the young couple’s escapades in a dreamy, romantic light, giving the short plenty of visual appeal.
Lust Stories 3 moves next to Shakun Batra’s short, which opens with a happy montage of Sailee (Radhika Madan) and Varun (Ali Fazal) tying the knot. But fast forward a couple of years later, and they’re estranged, and working to get a quick no contest divorce. However, when Sailee visits Varun to collect her things, they end up having sex and can’t stop hooking up, even though the divorce is very much underway. Ali Fazal’s Varun is a total mama’s boy, always prioritizing his mother over everything, a trait Sailiee simply cannot stand. So despite their incredible physical chemistry, their domestic life is a total mess.
Unfortunately, Radhika Madan and Ali Fazal don’t have the kind of electric sexual spark their characters are supposed to share, despite their ideological/personality differences. Besides, even a lot of their ‘reflective’ dialogue comes across as stiff, and something that sounds way too bookish, and doesn’t have the casual flow of real life conversations. However, this might be the most earnest story in Lust Stories 3, exploring the messy complexities of marriage and how years of depending on each other don’t simply disappear just because a couple decides to divorce.
Lust Stories 3 wraps up on a high note with Vishal Bhardwaj’s cinematic short starring Aditi Rao Hydari as Saira, who’s laboring to finish her doctorate in Urdu literature while also trying to get her doctor husband Badru (Siddharth) to, well, wait until she finishes in bed. Her feisty students would rather discuss smutty pulp novels than Manto or Premchand, and when Saira dismisses their cheap reading choices, they challenge her to write some poetic erotica of her own. With Mr Doctor busy, brisk in bed and only available on Fridays, Saira has plenty of time to put her imagination to work, leading to hilarious consequences.
Set in 1980s Hyderabad, Bhardwaj’s short has a wonderfully playful cinematic quality, complete with Bollywood flourishes, dream sequences and an excellent background score. Aditi Rao Hydari is charming as the seemingly shy Saira, whose imagination turns out to be anything but. Siddharth, meanwhile, gets to play both her real-life husband and the swoonier man of her fantasies, becoming the unabashed object of Saira’s desire in the process. And finally, here’s a Lust Stories 3 couple with some watch-worthy chemistry!
Beneath all the silliness, the story playfully explores female desire and the often considerable distance between romantic fantasy and bedroom reality. Even the exaggerated banter between Saira and her students adds to its almost theatrical comedy. Colorful, cheeky and unabashedly Bollywood, Vishal Bhardwaj’s short gives Lust Stories 3 exactly the dreamy curtain call it needed.
Rating: 7 on 10. Watch ‘Lust Stories 3’ on Netflix.
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