Netflix finally dropped the teaser of its third original Indian film (after Brahman Naman and Love Per Square Foot), Lust Stories, on Friday. It marks the re-union of the Bombay Talkies (2013) gang that comprises of Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee.
The directors had joined hands five years ago to give us four beautiful short films. Despite of the over-flowing love from the critics, the anthology film had failed to taste success at the box office. Not repeating the same mistake, the quartet chose to release their new film on a censorship-free platform - Netflix this time, where it will be available for 190 countries all over the world. A smart move, I would say!
Starring Radhika Apte, Manisha Koirala, Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani in lead roles, the shorts give us a salacious yet nuanced account of the twisted love-life of urban India, from the perspective of women.
The trailer opens with Radhika Apte's dialogue from Anurag Kashyap's film that sets the mood for Lust Stories. “You can’t hurt someone you love, intentionally you don’t. But you only hurt those you love!,” she is heard saying.
Radhika plays the role of a professor who is married to someone who is a strong advocate of monogamy and wants their relationship to be like that of penguins! Ironically enough, she
ends up getting in a physical relationship with one of her students, played by Akash Thosar, who is ofcourse younger than her. Radhika plays the role with absolute conviction and wins us over from the very first scene.
Next, we get to see the unrequited love-story of a house-help, played by Bhumi Pednekar, who is in a relationship with her house owner's son, portrayed by the very handsome Neil Bhoopalam. This one's directed by Zoya Akhtar.
Karan Johar's film features Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani as a newly married couple. We are taken through a scene where Kiara gets an orgasm and it's clearly not because of her husband. The film also stars Neha Dhupia. While it's too early to say anything, it seems to be a story of a lesbian caught in the cage of an arranged-marriage.
Dibakar Banerjee's directorial, that most people have their bets on, shows Manisha Koirala as a married woman who seeks happiness in the arms of her husband's (Sanjay Kapoor) friend (Jaideep Ahlawat).
Watch the trailer of Lust Stories, right here -
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Although I feel they could have done a better job with the title of the film, I am surely looking forward to this discovery-ride of love, betrayal, lust, hatred and everything in between. It premieres on June 15.
