Watch reviewLust Stories 2 follows its predecessor – much in the same way with very little romance and a lot more lust. But the latest, now on Netflix, is far more brazen and bold than the first one, and some could find it unpleasant. A subtle approach could have done wonders to the these Lust Stories – four episodes in all and helmed by well-know auteurs, R. Balki, Sujoy Ghosh, Amit R. Sharma and Konkona SenSharma.
I found the first and the last episode a notch or two higher than the rest. Balki’s Made for Each has a superb actress in Neena Gupta, who plays grandmother, rather a marriage counsellor to Veda (Mrunal Thakur) and Arjun (Angad Bedi). They are in love and set to take the pheras. At a pre-marriage discussion, the grandmother steps in and asks the two youngsters whether they have had sex – much their embarrassment and that of their families. “But before you buy a car, do you not test drive it” quips the old lady. Later. She gives invaluable lessons to Veda, and happily there is a bit of subtlety in these conversations – like for instance using Mount Fuji instead of orgasm.
The last segment, Tilchatta by Sharma has Kajol playing Devyani Singh. While Kumud Mishra essays the role of Suraj Singh, Anushka Kaushik plays Rekha. Devyani is tired of her husband, Suraj’s, openly philandering ways, and he even does not let the housemaid alone. Their son is all set to fly away to England for higher studies, and the mother is supremely happy about this. But little does she realise the shock that awaits her round the corner. Tilchatta is well made and the climax comes as a lovely piece of surprise – though shock for Devyani.
The two disappointing episodes are Sujay Ghosh’s Sex with Ex (with Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia). The plot is bizarre and convoluted with shoddy writing and below average performances. Konkana’s directorial effort, The Mirror, with Tillotama Shome is rather silly plotting how a woman gets turned on watching her maid (Anushka Kaushik) having sex with her husband. Living in a crowded chawl, they have no privacy and use Sheeta’s (Tillotama) bedroom while the mistress is away at work. When she walks in one afternoon unexpectedly, she finds herself enjoying the whole act, and she watches her maid and the man from a mirror. Too unrealistic, and far fetched, I would think.
The production values are just about okay with a couple of superb performances – Neena Gupta as a grand old lady who minces no word teaching the two youngsters all about sex, or the importance of it. “If there is no sex, there is no love," she says with determination. (Is it so, I would like to counter). And Konkona offers a fine performance as a wronged woman, who in the end finds her life all broken and shattered. The rest of the cast do not impress, not quite.
