Lust Stories 2

Lust Stories 2 is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language anthology film, and second installment of Lust Stories, consisting of four short film segments directed by R. Balki, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Ravindernath Sharma and Sujoy Ghosh. Co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP and Ashi Dua Sara of Flying Unicorn Entertainment, the film has an ensemble cast including Kajol, Mrunal Thakur, Kumud Mishra, Amruta Subhash, Angad Bedi, Neena Gupta, Tamannaah Bhatia, Tillotama Shome, Vijay Varma and others. It was released on Netflix on 29 June 2023.

At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, Lust Stories 2 received 5 nominations, including Best Web Original Film and Best Director in a Web Original Film (Sen Sharma), and won 2 awards – Best Web Original Film (Critics) and Best Supporting Actress in a Web Original Film (Subhash).

Plot
The film is a series of four short stories on the topic of love, sex, violence, and relationships.

Made for Each Other
When Veda and Arjun's families meet to discuss their marriage, the conversation revolves around their shared interests and hobbies. Both sets of parents seem to agree that the couple would make a 'perfect match', as they share many hobbies and common interests. Veda's grandmother, who is religious and widowed, walks into the room, and casually enquires if the couple have had sex yet. The other elders are shocked, and Arjun and Veda are left embarrassed. Veda's grandmother insists on the importance of physical intimacy in a relationship, as she believes hobbies can be abandoned and interests change over time. Later that night, she privately narrates to Veda her relationship with her own husband, Veda's grandfather, which was based on mutual attraction for each other, as well as the ability to satisfy the other in bed. Taking cues from this, Veda and Arjun become intimate, often renting private hotel rooms to engage in intercourse. Veda confesses to her grandmother that, though she enjoys the experience, she isn't left feeling fully satisfied. Meanwhile, Veda's parents are chided by Veda's grandmother for having let the spark die out of their own relationship, and forcing the same on to their daughter. One afternoon, Veda and Arjun visit her grandmother, and excitedly proclaim that they have finally understood how to satisfy the other person in bed. Veda's grandmother is pleased to hear this, and open heartedly offers her blessings for their wedding. She even offers to set up her room for them, to use on their wedding night as a honeymoon suite.

The Mirror
Ishita is a graphic designer, in her early 40s, who lives alone. She suffers from frequent migraines. Her maid, Seema, visits during the day, to clean her apartment. One afternoon, Ishita walks in on Seema having sex with her husband, Kamal, in her bedroom. Too shocked to confront them, Ishita hides while the couple finish and leave. Ishita realizes this is a daily occurrence but is unable to stop it. She also realizes being turned on by watching them have sex. The next day, she secretly starts hiding in her apartment, to spy on them through a mirror and leaves her office daily around 3 pm on the pretence of seeing an acupuncturist for her migraines. One day, Seema spots Ishita in the same mirror and realizes she is being watched. Unable to confront Ishita lest she be fired, but also excited by having someone watch her, she continues and pretends as if nothing has happened. One afternoon, Ishita accidentally knocks something over, causing a commotion and forcing Seema to confront her. The two hurl accusations at each other and Seema is fired. She struggles to land another job, while Ishita cannot find another maid as rumours about the altercation have spread. At night, Kamal and Seema argue with each other outside their tiny one-room apartment, right where she found and yelled at her daughter for conversing with her boyfriend. Kamal is at first angry with Seema for screaming at her for something trivial in public at odd hours of the night, which then evolved into an argument about her willingly allowing an invasion of their privacy by Ishita but reconciles when he realizes she did so intentionally as a turn on. Some weeks later, Ishita and Seema run into each other while buying groceries. They enquire about the other's wellbeing, and Seema asks if she can come back to work. Ishita agrees, and hands over the keys to her apartment. The next day, Ishita sneaks back into her apartment at 3pm, indicating a return to the old patterns.

Sex with the Ex
Vijay is a successful CEO of a company, who is married but has a strained relationship with his wife Anu. He meets with an accident while driving his old car. Before the accident, he had a video call with his girlfriend, who distracted him and caused him to crash into a tree while trying to avoid hitting a cyclist. Unable to start his car or use his phone, he seeks help from the cyclist and they go to a nearby village. He asks a reluctant mechanic to fix his car, but there is no phone signal available. He goes to a coffee shop and hears a familiar song playing nearby. He follows the sound and finds a woman in a red saree dancing at a community hall. He tries to approach her, but she denies being the person he thinks she is and asks him to leave. A police officer arrives and addresses her by the name he called her (Shanti), which makes him happy. Inside her house, it is revealed that they were once married, but she disappeared ten years ago. He is thrilled to see her again, but she wants him to leave. They recall their past and have conversations, during which he behaves inappropriately towards her. She repeatedly asks him to go away, but he refuses. They discuss the events leading up to her disappearance, and she suspects that Anu was involved. He reveals that he married Anu and had children with her, becoming the CEO of Anu's father's company. This angers Shanti, who thinks Anu orchestrated her abduction to marry Vijay. They have sex, and while lying together, Shanti mentions the pregnancy test she took before her disappearance. Vijay's response reveals that he manipulated the situation and planned everything to marry Anu. Shanti realises this and confronts him, and he admits to it. He then suffocates and kills her with a pillow. In order to escape the arriving policeman, Vijay escapes through a window. Back at his car, he sees people pulling his body out, thinking he is dead because he didn't respond. Shanti appears next to him and tells him he should have returned when he had the chance, which is when he screams.

Tilchatta
Suraj Singh is a wealthy former king in rural Rajasthan, who lives in a palace with his wife and step-son. He is sexually abusive towards, not just his wife, Devyani, but also to young girls in the village. He had married Devyani after lusting for her in a prostitution house, and took in her son too. After he assaults a maid working at the palace, forcing her to quit, Devyani is tasked with a replacement. On a regular weekly call, Devyani's mother, who runs a prostitution house, tells Devyani of a young prostitute contracting "the disease" (HIV) through a client. Devyani's mother feels bad for the girl, as her life is ruined at a young age. Meanwhile, Devyani is preparing her 20-year-old son, Ankur, to move to United Kingdom for higher education. Ankur is reluctant to leave his mother alone with his stepfather, but Devyani's long-term plan is to follow Ankur abroad once he settles down. Suraj discourages Ankur in his plans, and also keeps chiding him for his unknown father. Suraj sets his eyes on Rekha, the new maid hired by Devyani to replace the one who quit. Rekha, is young and innocent, and Suraj tries to take advantage of her on the pretext of getting a massage. Ankur walks in at the same time, and Suraj is forced to leave. Meanwhile, Ankur notices Rekha's disheveled appearance as she adjusts her clothing. At night, Devyani is awoken by sounds of pleasure and moaning emanating from a room in the castle. She believes it is Suraj and Rekha, and seems oddly pleased. Unknown to Suraj, Rekha is the former prostitute, hired from Devyani's mother, to work in the castle. Devyani installs her, hoping that she will pass the "disease" on to Suraj once he inevitably assaults her. As Devyani walks towards the room to seek confirmation, she is interrupted by the sound of Suraj stumbling into the house. He is drunk and unable to walk, and passes out in the courtyard. Devyani is shocked, and turns with a look of horror at the sounds still emanating from the room. She realizes her plan has horribly backfired, as Rekha is likely having sex with Ankur.

Release
The film was released on Netflix on 29 June 2023.

Reception
Critic Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com reviewed Lust Stories 2 as a diverse anthology that explores lust beyond sexual aspects,gave a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. She praised Konkona Sen Sharma's segment for its intimate storytelling and social context. The segment delves into the primal nature of lust between two characters, portrayed by Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash. Verma further discusses Sujoy Ghosh's segment, which explores the encounters of Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia, delving into the subconscious and guilt. She mentions the fanciful visuals and eerie atmosphere of the segment, which focuses less on explicit representations of sex and more on the toxic nature of lust within an individual. She appreciated the enigmatic and imperfect nature of Amit Ravindernath Sharma's concluding segment, addressing domestic violence and casteism. Verma expressed disappointment in the anthology's lack of queer narratives but acknowledged its potential as a streaming franchise. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3/5 and she described it as a mixed bag of stories and themes. While bursts of passion are present, Chatterjee felt that they are not the main focus. The opening story is criticized for its sterile approach, but Neena Gupta's performance stands out. "The Mirror" is highlighted as the turning point, exploring female desire in a complex manner. "Sex with Ex" is a genre exercise with the captivating performances of leads, who bring chemistry and intrigue to their roles as a woman who vanished mysteriously and her one-time husband, while "Tilchatta" provides a fitting end with Kajol's solid performance. Overall, Chatterjee felt that the show offers a range of narratives, delivering occasional passionate storytelling.

Debiparna Chakraborty from Best of Netflix gave the anthology 2/5 but praised Neena Gupta's role in the first story. She also praised Konkona Sen Sharma's short "The Mirror", writing "With sweat and spit and other bodily fluids oozing, this short drives in the point that sex can be strange and messy, especially when it steps out of the confines of straight-laced monogamous heteronormativity. It no longer remains palatable or clean."

Shubhra Gupta writing for The Indian Express found Konkona Sen Sharma's segment, "The Mirror," to be the most complex and satisfying. Gupta criticized the lack of passion and avoidance of intimacy in the first episode. The third episode left the reviewer confused about its genre. Gupta praised the performances in the fourth episode but noted the smaller impact of the marquee name, Kajol. Overall, Gupta appreciated the exploration of class and desire in "The Mirror" but criticized the lack of representation of marginalized communities in the anthology. The anthology exploring desi sexuality, receives positive feedback from Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times. She highlights the engaging nature of anthologies and praises the four filmmakers for their different perspectives on female sexuality. Kukreja particularly enjoys Konkona Sen Sharma's segment and appreciates the performances of Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash. While she finds Sujoy Ghosh's segment to be the weakest, she credits Amit Sharma's segment for its twist in the climax. Overall, Kukreja recommends Lust Stories 2 for its brilliant performances and the message it portrays.