Lust Stories 2 Review: Decent sequel with two great and two disappointing stories
Lust Stories 2 Movie Rating: 2.5 Star
Just watched Lust Stories 2 movie on Netflix. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Amruta Subhash, Angad Bedi, Kajol, Kumud Mishra, Mrunal Thakur, Neena Gupta, Tamannaah Bhatia, Tillotama Shome and Vijay Varma
Director: Amit Sharma, Konkona Sen Sharma, R. Balki and Sujoy Ghosh
Release Date: 29th June 2023 on Netflix
Story: It is sequel of 2018 Netflix film “Lust Stories“. It is also an anthology that revolves around the subjects of love, lust and desire. It is not just about exploring one’s inner desires or embracing sexuality, it also dabbles with how it affects different human connections. But all the stories do not necessarily have a smooth landing, despite a strong take off.
1st story is Made for Each Other which is directed by R. Balki. It focuses on the importance of sexual compatibility between a couple before marriage. The straightforward story is about a couple Arjun (Angad Bedi) and Veda (Mrunal Thakur) who meet for an arranged match. The families meet to discuss the wedding preparations. This is when Veda’s grandmother (Neena Gupta) insist that the couple should have sex before marriage to understand if they are compatible with each other.
This one is most beautiful story among all. R Balki has treated it in a light and entertaining manner and captivates the audiences in 26 minutes. The dialogues are hilarious and enhance the impact. Major attention has been given to Neena’s character and she excels in every frame. There’s a lack of emotional depth in the way Mrunal’s and Angad’s characters are written. It’s a fun watch, but the ending doesn’t pack a punch.
2nd story is Mirror which is directed by Konkona Sen Sharma. It’s good to see a story about lust from a woman’s point of view in The Mirror. Story around a modern working woman Isheeta (Tillotama Shome) living all by herself in Mumbai and her house help Seema (Amruta Subhash). One day She goes home early from work due to migraine only to find her maid Seema is having sex on Isheeta’s bed. Isheeta, however, doesn’t immediately fire Seema. She watches Amruta have sex with her husband on a daily basis from the reflection of a mirror and flies solo. But the latter gets to know it, does nothing about it, and continues with her adventures on her boss’ bed. It’s like both understand the need and don’t want to be villains in each other’s stories.
Story is novel and unexpected. Sagar Desai’s background score compliments the narrative. The characters are well-fleshed out and director plays out the drama effectively. The only issue is the length. At 37 minutes, it is the longest short of the film and gets repetitive.
3rd story is Sex With Ex which is directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Vijay (Vijay Varma) is married to Anita (Mukti Mohan) and has two children. He, however, is on his way to meet his girlfriend Nisha (Jennifer Piccinato). His car breaks down while he’s passing through a mysterious village, Paraisol. Here, he bumps into Shanti (Tamannaah Bhatia), his old flame.
This is weakest story of the lot and It’s a predictable and bizarre tale that lacks eros and even madness. Vijay Varma’s act is repetitive. Even Tamannaah Bhatia’s sex appeal can’t save the story. The set-up looks like a fancy movie set, which is purely intentional. But it also acts as a spoiler, making you guess the big reveal in the end.
4th and final story is Tilchatta which is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma. The story is about marital rape and the struggle to free oneself from the tough life one willingly chose for themselves. It’s a gloomy, depressing story that shows us the consequences of desire turning into lust. In Bijokpur, a man (Kumud Mishra) who belongs to a royal family resides in a palatial mansion with his wife Devyani (Kajol) and son Ankur (Zeeshan Nadaf). Kumud is trying his best to win a tender. He also lusts behind his maid. One day, a new maid, Rekha (Anushka Kaushik) arrives and he can’t wait to take her to bed.
It should have culminated the story in 20 minutes. It gives a monotonous vibe as to where this is even heading. But Amit Sharma keeps the shocking twist in its climax, and it definitely leaves a lasting impact. I thought maybe it was the last film, so it impacted me the most. But no, the coming together of everything towards the end is disturbing and even gut-wrenching. Also, ending the anthology with this depressing, poorly made film wasn’t a good idea.
Positives
1. Performances
2. 2 stories
2. Climax
Negatives
1. Length
2. Screenplay
3. 2 Stories
4. Music
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie in my free time as trailer looks good in parts.
Lust Stories 2 biggest strength is the variety of genres that it explores in the approx 2 hours. While Balki has treated the subject with humor, Konkona is exploring the dark side of it in her Tillotama and Amruta led film. Sujoy doesn’t disappoint his fans who would expect thriller in his portion of the film, while Amit combines that with suspense and intense emotions that really leaves you shocked by the end of it. The anthology truly climaxes with a cinematic orgasm, and much of the credit for that goes to R Balki and Amit Sharma. The first part focused more on pleasures and desires that were purely sexual. But two filmmakers have mixed genres this time. It worked for Sharma, but you also wonder if such a powerful story fits in the world of lust stories!
While R.Balki and Amit’s films go beyond the theme of lust, Sujoy and Konkona’s shorts seem limited in imagination. They are more anecdotal than stories. Besides being anecdotal, I couldn’t connect to the climax too as it seemed was drafted just for effect and reaction. When that clearly comes across is when it doesn’t work. It has narratives that are sometimes hot (R Balik’s story) and sometimes cold (Sujay Ghosh’s story). Sharma’s tale will linger in your mind for a long time due to its unsettling climax. Sadly, the other two are just dry, leaving you disappointed. This time around, Lust Stories is neither clutter breaking nor riveting. At best, it is mediocre, with Konkona’s short being an exception. The first season explored different dynamics of lust and humans’ reaction to it. This time, it tries to go beyond it. However, at some point, you really wonder if you are watching Lust Stories or Ghost Stories!
Overall, it’s lustful and filled with passion, but only the two short films give the much-needed climax that the lust stories deserve. It is a decent attempt and comprises of two great and two disappointing stories. The film, however, is expected to fetch a good viewership due to the casting and steamy scenes. My view on this movie Time Pass.
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