Much like its previous franchises, Lust Stories 3 arrives as a sumptuous concoction of female desire, pleasure, and candid conversations about the still-taboo subject of sex. The buzz surrounding this instalment was minimal; perhaps audiences are now familiar with its recurring theme, and all one hopes is that it resonates with the current milieu.
The film stays true to its central plot – desire at an all-time high in a woman’s world. This time, the most enticing element is undoubtedly the intriguing mix of directors on board.
Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra, and Vishal Bhardwaj serve up a lavish spread with an equally compelling cast. The onscreen couple that drew the most excitement was also an offscreen pair – Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari. Perhaps a little overhyped, but their chemistry still crackles on screen.
As with earlier formats, these are four short films directed by acclaimed filmmakers. Each is introduced with titles such as “4 days ago”, “4 months ago”, and “4 decades ago”, and each showcases the director’s distinctive storytelling style – essential in a genre demanding sensitivity.
Motwane’s story features Konkona Sen Sharma opposite Abhishek Banerjee, and Radhika Apte with Vijay Varma. The premise revolves around two married couples where the women feel sexually and emotionally unfulfilled. A birthday trip to Khandala sparks an unusual plan: the women indulge in a game of seduction, though not with their husbands. Konkona Sen Sharma is effortless as always, while Radhika Apte shines with her comic timing. Varma and Banerjee are convincing as oblivious spouses, but the women truly steal the show.
Kiran Rao’s tale, starring Gurfateh Pirzada and Sana Thampi, arguably delivers the most intriguing twist. Set against Mumbai’s frenetic backdrop, sudden attraction and impulsive choices spiral into chaos. Pirzada plays a double role as a drug dealer, instantly raising the stakes. Thampi is sultry and assured, navigating the fine line between sexual agency and harsh reality. In Pirzada’s dual characters, she finds her leverage, and as eroticism peaks, it is the woman who ultimately commands the narrative.
Shakun Batra’s film, with Radhika Madan and Ali Fazal, feels tailormade for his nuanced grasp of intimacy. His stories often follow a lyrical rhythm, free of gendered boundaries, and here he explores emotional ambiguity and insecurity. Varun and Sailee marry after just three months, but within two years they are separating on bitter terms. Love lingers, yet communication collapses. Lust becomes their peacemaker – sex quietens the chaos, as Sailee admits in therapy. Their therapist poses the piercing question, “Is lust a painkiller or a cure?”
Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan are fantastic as their disturbed and complicated selves, and a couple as a whole with their passion and anger intact. Their emotional scenmes make you feel something, as do their seething anger, and in more ways than one it does feel like we all have gone through a similar phase. Lust becomes a blanket of emotional security here and Shakun Batra does a mature job of knitting it all together.
As they say, save the best for the last, Vishal Bhardwaj makes a grand entry with his poetic rendition of lust with Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth spearheading it. Aditi Rao Hydari is a vision to behold, and Siddharth as a nerdy yet sexy doctor is quite the range. The actor has really been playing it up with a diverse filmographyt his year. Vishal Bhardwaj spins this lust story by connecting desire with imagination and identity.
It is a typical Vishal Bhardwaj production, every frame is poetry and dreamy. Aditi Rao Hydari is luminous with her playful mischief and hidden desires safe and sound in her imagination. Her intimate scenes with Siddharth are a result of their blossoming love story off the celluloid, and it shows. Romance comes easy to these two on screen and Vishal Bahrdwaj paints a rather attractive landscape. And just like the the other three, Aditi Rao Hydari as Saira drives the story here. It is all about undiscovered internal world of a woman’s desires and the only place it seems to get fulfilled are between the pages of literary books.
Saira shies away from openly talking about it, in hints and twists, she expresses it to her shauhar – Badru, but he seems to need a lesson or two on the art of intimacy. All that until a twist breaks out and Saira and Badru realise that they are more than enough meant for each other, than it had felt in the longest time.
Siddharth brings in a certain style and suave to his character. It is fresh and unlikely of what we have seen him do which makes it for a fun watch. Aditi Rao Hydari has a funny streak in her, and it is during the panicky outbursts that it comes to light the most and ensues a giggle or two. But as I always say, a Vishal Bhardwaj production is not for all taste buds, though the pairing of Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari is a major crowd-puller, this one takes its time to strike a chord with its viewers but the message of ‘lust’ is out and loud.
Lust Stories 3 makes for the perfect guilty-pleasure over the weekend. It isn’t complicated, it breezes through. Some stories feel too basic, while some comes off interesting in how it incorporates the female gaze and sexual needs amid life’s web of frustration with marriages and relationships. It is a decent mix to say the least, and while you come for the passion, you stay for the acts.
ALSO READ | Lust Stories 3: Siddharth Reveals How A 5 am Dream Became A Seduction Scene In The Netflix Series
