Lust stories that lose their way

Vikrant Parmar

Is the anthology ‘Lust Stories 2’ about lust or stories? Well, except the short directed by Konkana Sen Sharma, where a heady mix of lust and story impresses, the other three tales suffer from injected lust and misplaced stories.

In the short headlined by Neena Gupta (directed by R Balki), who plays a ‘dadi’ far ahead of her times, there is no lust. And, there is no story! She can read sacred mantras and simultaneously provide sexual ‘gyan’ to her coy, yet modern, granddaughter. She wants her to ‘test’ her would-be husband before marrying him by quoting how she did the same during her time. Can the traditional Indian set-up boast of such a ‘dadi’? Highly unlikely!

Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia play an estranged, rather strange, husband-wife in another tale, where the two meet after a decade and then skeletons of the past tumble out of the closet, literally. This one is rather a thriller, but, as the title suggests, lust is a must! Kajol and Kumud Mishra form the core of the last story, where the latter essays a debauched landlord with depleting resources and yet a wagging tongue. This one ends with a twist, but lust again is gate-crashed into the narrative.

Well, all is not lust… err lost! What makes this anthology hold is the tale directed by Konkana. A lonely designer, Tillotama Shome, finds thrill in her maid’s (Amruta Subhash) sexual escapades even as the latter knows it; voyeurism handled with finesse and human needs, which go beyond the barriers of caste, class and economy, are depicted in their true essence.