Lust Stories

Lust Stories, a Netflix original film, peels away the luster of Bollywood to open the table for discussions pervasive Indian culture typically shy away from. At the center is lust, and the show is concerned, mainly, on how that emotion makes ruthless, unreasonable, and imperfect animals out of us. More especially, how lust can interfere with the emotional aspects of our sex lives.

The anthology film is made of four parts, all from prominent Indian directors, namely Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar. Between them are discussions of sex, attraction, and, of course, lust — topics that you won’t normally hear aloud in modern-day India.

Each story centers on a stigma: One centers on a relationship between a teacher and a student; one is a relationship between two people who belong in different social classes; another follows an adulterous marriage; and to complete the four is a story that explores sexual satisfaction.

None of these stories are told quite as neatly as we’d like, but that’s the nature of love, sex, and even lust. They’re messy, torrid affairs that more often than not end in dissatisfaction, if not guilt or shame. Even still, Lust Stories is richly layered and multi-dimensional, offering a nuanced, eye-opening take on pressing matters shared often only in whispers.

Directors: Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap – Screenplay: – Cast: Radhika Apte, Bhumi Pednekar, Manisha Koirala – Run Time: 2h