Lust Stories 2 review: Bedroom boredom beckons, not arousal

Sequels are like what Marx wrote about some 150 years ago. They threaten to be a tragedy and descend into a quick bloody farce. Lust Stories 2 is the second of that fabled anthology concept. The first one saw heavyweights Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap direct a film each. 

Ronnie Screwvala and Ashi Dua are back with four more short stories trying to lure you back into a lustful seance. The second anthology has four proficient filmmakers—Amit Ravindernath Sharma, Konkona Sen Sharma, R. Balki, and Sujoy Ghosh. Unlike the first instalment, the second innings of Lust Stories explores the "amalgamation of deconstructive lust and lonesomeness in modern times", with a hint of the class system that ends at lust. 

What remains the same with Lust Stories 2 as the first part are strong female protagonists who sail through on the lusty cruise with experiences, aspirations, seduction, and sometimes, rage. However, the big draw of Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma's ‘juicy’ chemistry and Neena Gupta’s trailer antics can't seem to kick life into the crawling storytelling.

R. Balki 

The opening film by R. Balki, starring Neena Gupta, Mrunal Thakur and Angad Bedi, is like a caution for all brides and grooms-to-be. It begins with two best friends setting up their son and daughter for marriage. While they announce Veda (Mrunal Thakur) and Arjun (Angad Bedi) as ‘made for each other’, dadi (Neena Gupta) strongly disagrees and asks the ‘compatible’ couple to take a ‘test drive’. 

Indian dadis in films may be cliched and overdone but this dadi is one of a kind. The not-so-regular dadi schools her granddaughter on sex before marriage and how ‘Mount Fuji’ in marriage supplements a happy life. Being hush-hush about sex before marriage like every other Indian family, other family members warn dadi of not polluting the minds of the ‘made for each other’ couple. 

Performances by now-internet sensation, Neena Guta and Mrunal Thakur will hit the right chords. However, by the end of the anthology, the story will be long forgotten due to its humdrum scenes and futile dialogues. 

Konkana Sen Sharma

A brilliant actor, Konkana Sen Sharma shows off her directorial chops here. The second chapter of Lust Stories 2 features Tillotama Shome and Amruta Shubhash fighting for their unusual sexual desires. Shome plays Isheeta, a workaholic single woman whose life can go awry without her house help, Seema didi. Isheeta catches Seema didi having a steamy session with her husband in her bed. She freezes and calls her girl best friend Sameera to narrate the hot sex. Not-so-gutsy Isheeta does not confront Seema didi. 

The loneliness in Isheeta’s eyes is visible as she ends up crying while masturbating that night. She includes watching the hot sex through the mirror, without spilling her tea, and masturbating the same night to her daily routine. While Seema didi dreams to get intimate with her husband in a well-made bed in a beautiful apartment, Isheeta’s only fetish is to watch them naked on her bed. Two women. One maid and the other, the lonely ‘malkin’. United by lust. This is classic Konkana.

Sujay Ghosh

Sujay Ghosh’s story opens with the iconic song ‘Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye’. Vijay (Vijay Varma), with striking visuals of Paraisol, enters with his vintage car in a hurry to meet his fling, outside his marriage, for anticipated sexual intercourse. An urgent office meeting lands him in a picturesque village where he reunites with his ex-wife, Shanti (Tamannaah Bhatia) after ten years. Dressed in a wine-red cotton saree and pallu tucked in the waist exposing the belly button, Shanti takes Vijay’s breath away, seemingly again. 

The father of two kids and a husband, Vijay desperately wants every fragment of Shanti. But, they have a history. They ignore history and surrender themselves to each other. What follows next is intense sex between two lovers reuniting after ten years and a twist in their tale.

This chapter of Lust Stories 2 is everything but rousing given the buzz around Varma and Bhatia after the trailer release. However, Vijay is solid as an unfaithful husband and Tamannaah looks worth taking a risk for. The narrative also highlights the absence of sexual excitement in a marriage, especially after kids. 

Amit Ravindernath Sharma

The only film in Lust Stories 2 to be hooked on to is by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and it has more than a lust complexity to offer. It starts with violent sex moans and expletives inside a gigantic mahal. The story takes you to Bijakpur Rajwada and the lives of Chanda (Kajol) and her son Yuvraj trapped with the abusive antagonist (Kumud Mishra). Chanda, a former prostitute, was picked by maharaj, who marries her. While Yuvraj dreams of moving to England, maharaj rapes his wife every night in an inebriated state. He rapes the house help too. 

The old maid runs away after a sexual harassment encounter with maharaj. However, the new maid, Rekha, looks naive and fancies the humongous palace wanting to live in it. Rekha can do anything to live in the palace. Aware of her husband’s ‘kaands’, Kajol secretly wishes worse for him.

This is the only film among the lot that has the potential to start a discussion on domestic violence and marital rape. Kajol shines through the film as she portrays the role of the mother who absorbs the domestic abuse just for her son. Her layered character has the innocence of Anjali Sharma from Kabhii Khushi Kabhie Gham and the rage of Naina from Dushman at the same time. Kumud Mishra’s lecherous eyes will make you hate him. And this is what you call a performance.

Watch Lust Stories 2 trailer here: