Lust Stories 2 Review - Love, Sex, Dhokha & Lots of Lust

Netflix is back with Lust Stories 2, one of their most popular brands, with a new set of directors: R. Balki, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sujoy Ghosh, and Amit Sharma, and actors: Neena Gupta, Angad Bedi, Mrunal Thakur, Amruta Subhash, Tillotama Shome, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vijay Varma, Kajol, and Kumud Mishra. Lust Stories (2018) was nothing great, but a thoroughly enjoyable lusty flick. Some of the scenes were so viral that every college guy and school guy has to get Netflix's subscription to watch the anthology. Now, it's been 5 years, and we have consumed a lot of content in this period on Netflix and otherwise. Lust Stories 2 has four stories spanning about half an hour each. Like its title suggests, it provides a lot of lust—if that's all you want—with, of course, more censored content according to the new CBFC codes.Featuring Neena Gupta, Angad Bedi, and Mrunal Thakur, the first story is directed by R Balki, the man known for his taboo-breaking vision. He tries to break a taboo on sex before marriage as he lauds, "Sex is the key to a happy marriage," but somewhere fails to find a proper conclusion. This short is about a wannabe couple whose marriage is being arranged by their parents, but a bold Granny wants them to have sex before marriage. Earlier awkward about the same, the couple has a nice time doing it. This is Balki's attempt to prove that it isn't normal to have sex before marriage to find out 'compatibility'. But I don't see what's taboo about it when you know the girl has had boyfriends and the boy too might be in the same boat. Neena Gupta's Dadi is hilarious but too much for an old woman who reads religious books and spends time in a poojapath. Mrunal Thakur looks gorgeous. I won't say sexy because she does not expose. Angad Bedi is fine too, but seemed a little dull for a 'senative gentleman'. Overall, this story has a lot of lusty talk but no motive or actual lust. The simplest one.The second tale in Lust Stories 2 is directed by Konkona Sen Sharma and stars Tilottama Shome and Amruta Subhash in the lead roles. Tilottama is a single, urban woman who is lonely in her life. Her house is kept well by her maid, Seema Didi, played by Amruta Subhash. One fine day, she comes home and finds her maid having sex on her bed with the building's watchman, who happens to be her husband. Instead of throwing her out, the lonely woman enjoys seeing them do all those things she couldn't do due to her busy schedule. Konkana's Lust Story is all about Lust, but it is divided into two categories: one who has it and one who cannot have it. This is a lot about women's internal feelings and understanding, and there are plenty of those voices you wanna hear. It's the longest of all, and that's why it feels tedious. The conclusion makes no sense but makes those two women happy. So, a strictly below average watch. Look out for this one for Tilottama and Amruta's good performances.When you read Sujoy Ghosh's name, somehow you know that it's not going to be a regular romance and sex story between the most hyped pair, Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia. This story has given a lot of hints through promos, but I tell you, don't let those promos fool you. Watching super hot Tammanaah Bhatia in those sexy sarees and Vijay Varma getting intimate with her might please you for a while, but besides that, there are a lot of surprises in this one. Told you it's a Sujoy Ghosh project, so be prepared for a thriller, not just a lust story. Tamannaah and Vijay's chemistry sets the screen on fire, while the poor story sheds water on it. Nevertheless, an average watch with that one proper twist to end the ride.The last one in Lust Stories 2 is helmed by Amit Sharma, starring Kajol and Kumud Mishra. They saved the best one for last. Yes, Amit Sharma has delivered a Banger! Kumud Mishra is some kind of womaniser and a Raja (he doesn't look like one from any angle), and Kajol plays his wife, who was a prostitute once. She is a victim of physical and sexual abuse, but she doesn't utter a word before her husband. He beats her on the bed every night, and she wakes up seeing herself wounded in the mirror every morning. She is bearing it all because she wants money for her son, who wants to go to London for higher studies. Her husband doesn't even spare maids working in the house, and that's the character that defines the entire story in the last two minutes. Domestic violence, revenge, sex, betrayal, and a big intellectual twist in the climax—Amit Sharma combines all these things to serve you the best dish of Lust Stories. This one is a subtle take on feminism and misogyny.