Four young Maverick directors fet together for a compilation film set around the thorny issues of marriage, fidelity and...well orgasms.
We start off with the worst segment here which, surprisingly, is by Anurag Kashyap. At best it's annoying, with Radhika Apte's eccentric character screeching her way through every scene, and at worst it plays like an amateurish student exercise. Either Mr. Kashyap was busy elsewhere or he completely misjudged his material.
The second story, by Zoya Akhtar is, in my opinion, the best. It is subtle and observant take on Ismat Chugtai's short story 'Utran'. In it, a maid develops feelings for her employer after sleeping with him. She finds it hard to accept his marriage which is being arranged right in front of her. The way she is completely ignored and at the end condescended to is brilliantly observed by Akhtar. Though, sadly, many might miss the implications of the climax.
Then we move to Dibakar Bannerjee's tale of a crumbling, duplicitous marriage. Reena (Manisha Koirala), married to Salman (Sanjay Kapoor) finally finds a perfect chance to reveal to her husband that she is having an affair with his best friend (Jaideep Ahlawat). The tone is meant to be light here but does not come across as such, or not until much later. The story does get tedious but the ending is clever and unpredictable.
This brings us to the most ribald of the short films here by Karan Johar.
You probably might even recognise this from the short clip circulating on WhatsApp. A newly married woman's (Kiara Advani) pursuit towards getting an orgasm from her husband (Vicky Kaushal) who lasts exactly five seconds in bed! Her guidance comes (pun not intended) in form of her more experienced colleague, Neha Dhupia who introduces her to the wonders of a vibrator. It is colorful and entertaining and ends the whole thing on a high, if empty, note.
On the whole 'Lust Stories', like most omnibuses, is patchy, and fails at any thematic cohesiveness but it is still thought provoking and entertaining enough to merit a watch.
We start off with the worst segment here which, surprisingly, is by Anurag Kashyap. At best it's annoying, with Radhika Apte's eccentric character screeching her way through every scene, and at worst it plays like an amateurish student exercise. Either Mr. Kashyap was busy elsewhere or he completely misjudged his material.
The second story, by Zoya Akhtar is, in my opinion, the best. It is subtle and observant take on Ismat Chugtai's short story 'Utran'. In it, a maid develops feelings for her employer after sleeping with him. She finds it hard to accept his marriage which is being arranged right in front of her. The way she is completely ignored and at the end condescended to is brilliantly observed by Akhtar. Though, sadly, many might miss the implications of the climax.
Then we move to Dibakar Bannerjee's tale of a crumbling, duplicitous marriage. Reena (Manisha Koirala), married to Salman (Sanjay Kapoor) finally finds a perfect chance to reveal to her husband that she is having an affair with his best friend (Jaideep Ahlawat). The tone is meant to be light here but does not come across as such, or not until much later. The story does get tedious but the ending is clever and unpredictable.
This brings us to the most ribald of the short films here by Karan Johar.
You probably might even recognise this from the short clip circulating on WhatsApp. A newly married woman's (Kiara Advani) pursuit towards getting an orgasm from her husband (Vicky Kaushal) who lasts exactly five seconds in bed! Her guidance comes (pun not intended) in form of her more experienced colleague, Neha Dhupia who introduces her to the wonders of a vibrator. It is colorful and entertaining and ends the whole thing on a high, if empty, note.
On the whole 'Lust Stories', like most omnibuses, is patchy, and fails at any thematic cohesiveness but it is still thought provoking and entertaining enough to merit a watch.