Lust Stories
慕情のアンソロジー
Storyline
The whole story, ending included.
Four directors, four women's wants; critics praised its frankness, and the Karan Johar chapter's vibrator scene drew particular notice.
Four short films by four directors, each about what a woman wants.
In Anurag Kashyap's story, Kalindi (Radhika Apte), a college lecturer whose older husband, Mihir, lives abroad and has encouraged her to have a sexual history of her own, sleeps with Tejas (Akash Thosar), one of her students. Afraid of attachment, she pushes him away and tries a 'monogamous' affair with a colleague, which ends after one awkward night. When Tejas moves on with a classmate, Natasha, jealousy takes over: Kalindi follows the couple, spoils their time alone and finally lets herself into his flat. He offers to leave Natasha for her. Once he is hers again, she tells him she is married and walks away, leaving him bewildered.
In Zoya Akhtar's story, Sudha (Bhumi Pednekar) cleans the flat of Ajit (Neil Bhoopalam), a bachelor who sleeps with her and then lets her go back to the sweeping. She has quietly hoped for more. His parents arrive, and another family brings a marriage proposal. Sudha sees Ajit sitting close to the prospective bride in his room, finishes her chores, and on her way out accepts a sweet from his mother to celebrate the engagement.
In Dibakar Banerjee's story, Reena (Manisha Koirala), a banker in a stale marriage to Salman (Sanjay Kapoor), has spent three years in an affair with his closest friend, Sudhir (Jaideep Ahlawat). When Salman grows suspicious, Sudhir flinches from telling him, so Reena summons her husband and confesses. Salman breaks down and begs her to stay for the children. She stays. The next morning she ends the affair, telling Sudhir that Salman knows and that he must never let on that he knows it too.
In Karan Johar's story, Megha (Kiara Advani), a schoolteacher, is newly married to Paras (Vicky Kaushal), who is loving but finishes too soon. Her colleague Rekha (Neha Dhupia) suggests a remote-controlled vibrator. When Paras's grandmother picks up the remote by mistake, Megha climaxes in front of the whole family, and his mother demands a divorce. A month later the separated couple meet in a café, and over ice cream Paras agrees to pay attention to what she needs.
Starring
Radhika Apteas Kalindi
A college lecturer in an open, long-distance marriage whose fling with a student turns into jealousy and pursuit.
Kalindi’s story
Kalindi teaches at a college while her older husband, Mihir, lives abroad and urges her to build a sexual history of her own. She sleeps with her student Tejas, makes him record a statement that it was consensual, and, afraid of attachment, keeps him at arm's length. She tries a 'monogamous' affair with a colleague, Neeraj, and ends it after one awkward night. When Tejas moves on with a classmate, Natasha, she cannot let go: she follows the couple, intrudes on their time alone and finally lets herself into his flat. The moment he offers to leave Natasha for her, she tells him she is married and walks away, leaving him bewildered.
Akash Thosaras Tejas
Kalindi's student, who takes their night together more seriously than she does and is left confused.
Bhumi Pednekaras Sudha
A domestic worker who sleeps with the bachelor she cleans for and quietly hopes it means more than it does.
Sudha’s story
Sudha's days in Ajit's flat have a rhythm: she makes his tea and breakfast, makes his bed, hands him his towel, sleeps with him, then goes back to sweeping the floor. Then his parents arrive, and the two of them avoid each other. His mother is kind to her, but when she orders tea for the household she leaves Sudha out of the count. When a family comes with a marriage proposal, Sudha serves tea to both sets of parents and carries it to the bedroom, where Ajit sits close to the young woman on his bed. She finishes her chores. On her way out his mother offers her a sweet to celebrate the engagement, and Sudha takes it and eats it.
Manisha Koiralaas Reena
A banker who has been having an affair with her husband's best friend for three years and decides to tell the truth.
Reena’s story
Reena's marriage to Salman has gone stale, and she is the mother of his two children. When Sudhir tells her that Salman suspects her, she wants to tell him and live openly; Sudhir cannot face losing his friend. So Reena calls her husband to Sudhir's house herself and tells him she is unhappy, that she has become a caretaker for his children rather than a partner, and that the affair has lasted three years. Salman breaks down and begs her to stay for the children. She stays. The next morning she ends it with Sudhir, tells him Salman knows, and warns him never to let Salman see that he knows it too. Then she leaves with her husband.
Kiara Advanias Megha
A newly married schoolteacher whose husband does not satisfy her and who goes looking for her own pleasure.
Megha’s story
Megha, a schoolteacher, is newly married to Paras, who is loving and attentive and finishes too soon, and his family is already pressing her for a child. Her colleague Rekha suggests a remote-controlled vibrator. Megha tries it at home; a commotion in the living room interrupts her, and Paras's grandmother picks up the remote and starts pressing its buttons. Megha climaxes in front of the whole family, and her mother-in-law demands a divorce. A month later, living apart, she meets Paras secretly in a café. He does not want to separate, and agrees to pay attention to what she needs. When she reaches for her ice cream, he stops her and feeds it to her himself.
Vicky Kaushalas Paras
Megha's devoted new husband, who has never thought to ask whether she is satisfied.
Why it matters
Lust Stories arrived on Netflix in June 2018 as four directors' answer to a question Hindi cinema had mostly avoided: what do women want, and what happens when they say so? Its women are neither saints nor vamps. A lecturer's jealousy turns her into her young lover's stalker; a maid's desire is invisible to the man who uses it; a wife tells her husband the truth and chooses to stay; a bride's pleasure matters only once it embarrasses the family. Critics praised its frankness about female sexuality, and the vibrator scene in Karan Johar's story drew particular notice. The film was nominated for two International Emmy Awards, for Best TV Movie or Miniseries and for Radhika Apte as Best Actress. The class line in Zoya Akhtar's story is the one that lingers: desire is spoken of here, but not everyone is allowed to have it.