Lust Stories 2 Review: Konkona Sen Charms With Directorial Prowess In Otherwise Bland Sequel

The filmmakers of 'Lust Stories 2' seek to rekindle the same magic but not all of them make it. 

New Delhi: We always look at a sequel compared to the original work, whether a feature film or a series. It was tricky to hold back as the sequel gradually reminded me that I should have kept the bar low, despite my best efforts to do so before watching the new anthology film 'Lust Stories 2'. The film certainly offered a new perspective because of the fresh lineup of directors: R. Balki, Amit Sharma, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Sujoy Ghosh. But it was a challenge to refrain from revisiting the ground-breaking Emmy-nominated film 'Lust Stories', which Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Zoya Akhtar crafted five years ago.

The anthology laid out four stories that captured the essence of desire for people from across all walks of life, exploring present-day relationships through one's sense of sexuality and lust.

The first film, Made for Each Other, by R. Balki, is about two families trying to arrange for their children to get married. The director introduces Veda (Mrunal Thakur) and Arjun (Angad Bedi) amid blushes and playful glances, but the shock comes when Neena Gupta's character, who plays the family matriarch, drops some truth bombs about the necessity of pleasure. She believes that in order to know if they are marrying the right person, a couple must have "sexual compatibility". The hush-hush talk is passed among the family members like an envelope with a dash of wit and humour. When you unravel Balki's narrative, what's inside is just as simple as how it was packaged. However, the movie only works during those brief scenes where Neena talks about her blunt thoughts on a sexual relationship. The director offers only a fleeting glimpse of a plot that might fit in mainstream Bollywood while steering clear of deeper questions about sexuality.

Balki's familial setup is left behind as Konkona enters a more intricate and nuanced narrative of women's desires. Holding up a mirror to the inner realities of two completely distinct women, The Mirror offers a fresh lens on female pleasure. Amruta Subhash plays a domestic help to Tillotama Shome's successful but lonely character. Towering buildings casting a shadow on slums are depicted in a striking frame that acts like a metaphor for the tale in the movie's opening sequence. Isheeta comes across an unsettling scene in which she witnesses her maid, Seema, engaging in passionate fornication on her bed. She is initially startled by the sight, but ultimately it grows into an amusing game of hide and seek, giving some sexual awakening to the character's otherwise mundane and sexless life. Sen, in an intriguing move, treats the story with utmost tenderness and underlines how the absence of intimacy ultimately ends in haunting loneliness. This one has to be the best of the bunch since Sen never misses a beat with her direction, and Shome and Subash carry the movie masterfully.

Sex with Ex, a filmy-tinged part from Sujoy Ghosh, turned out to be the weakest of the lot. Obviously, Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia's on-screen romance had to be one of the most talked-about aspects of the movie. But when the dull tale plays out in a really bizarre-looking setting, the excitement quickly fades away—in fact, it happens within the first few minutes. In a backdrop that feels dreamlike, Vijay Chauhan (Vijay Varma) encounters Shanti (Tamannaah Bhatia), his long-disappeared wife. Vijay, who is now married and a father of two, has been shown from the outset to still harbour feelings of passion and wonder for his ex-wife. She does, however, urge him to go before it's too late, and if it's not too late, you can skip this segment in the movie entirely.

Last but not least, Tilchatta by Amit Sharma starring Kajol and Kumud Mishra, lives up to its name with a finely crafted plot and subtle performances. While Kajol portrays the meek wife who is treated like a doormat, Kumud Mishra plays a lord who has eyes for every woman. To trap her husband in her quest for freedom for herself and her son, Devyani Singh employs a new cleaning girl named Rekha (Anushka Kaushik). This part delves into themes of arrogance and vengeance, making Kajol a dedefenseless woman who eventually throws her dice in a bid to win it all but loses her one precious possession

The filmmakers of 'Lust Stories 2' seek to rekindle the same magic with desires, fantasies, love, vengeance, and much more, but not all of them make it. With the depth and vulnerability she puts into her story, Konkona Sen manages to keep the almost-capsized ship afloat. She does so with such precision that the actor makes the other narratives seem rather mundane and their makers seem less in tune with the theme.