Thanks to OTT providers like Amazon Prime and Netflix, films that break the stereotype of Bollywood are being made in India. One such recent film is Netflix’s Lust Stories (2018). The anthology film which has four stories, as the title suggests, all of them are about intimacy issues that are outside the societal norms, by itself the topics handled are not uncommon in Indian films but their treatment and being told from the individual women’s perspective is certainly new to the Indian audience. Netflix and all the four director’s including Karan Johar have to be appreciated for doing this project.
The first one, starring Radhika Apte as a married college professor is the most daring story out of the four in the film. It is about her character’s obsession with her male student after a one-night stand, normally this type of story is told with the gender roles reversed – Radhika Apte has brought out the eccentric nature of her character very well, making it a pleasure to watch.
The second one starring Bhumi Pednekar, who works as a maidservant for a bachelor in Mumbai who gets intimate. It is about her feelings which she does a good job of hiding when learning of his upcoming marriage. There are hardly any dialogues spoken between the lead pair in the film, making the feelings they go through a lot more intense for the viewers.
The next one, stars veteran actress Manisha Koirala is about the affair of the wife with the husband’s best friend. The beauty of this screenplay was how the three main characters handle the whole issue composed and mature. Manisha Koirala shines brilliantly with her expert handling of the character.
The last is about a recently wed bride’s disappointment in the bedroom, a topic previously handled in Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013) from the bridegroom’s perspective. Director Karan Johar has excelled himself with his casting and practicality of the problem.
This film is available exclusively on Netflix India.
