Lust Stories 2 (A)
Release Date in India |
29-Jun-23 |
Language |
Hindi |
Genre |
Romance, Drama |
Director |
Konkona Sen Sharma, R. Balki, Sujoy Ghosh, Amit Sharma |
Writer |
Dave Andron, Michael Dinner, Eisa Davis, Chris Provenzano, Taylor Elmore, Shellee, Pooja Tolani |
Cinematography |
P. C. Sreeram, Anand Bansal |
Producer |
Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Chhabra, Bhavish Kukreja, Shruti Mahajan |
Music |
Sagar Desai, Debasish Mishra, Raja Narayan Deb, Koteswara Rao S.V., Anirban Sengupta |
Production |
FX Productions, MGM Television, Sony Pictures Television |
Duration |
2h 12min |
Cast |
Neena Gupta, Mrunal Thakur, Tamanna Bhatia, Kajol, Angad Bedi, Hemant Kher, Tillotama Shome, Amruta Subhas, Konkona Sen Sharma,Mukti Mohan, Anushka Kaushik, Vibha Chibber, Jugal Hansraj, Prateek Pachauri, Vijay Varma, Tarun Khanna, Kumud Mishra |
About Lust Stories 2 (A)
Four renowned Indian directors plunge into the world of sex, desire, romance, conflict and crime, each presenting a unique story that touches the realms of lust and passion.
Photos of Lust Stories 2 (A)
Lust Stories 2 (A) Trailer
Lust Stories 2 (A) in You Tube
Movies Review
It seems unfair to judge an anthology as a single entity when some shorts stand out so prominently while others leave no trace. So, to give credit where credit is due, I'd like to say that Konkona Sensharma's second short Last Stories 2 deserves a much higher rating than the anthology is given. Kajol, Neena Gupta, Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash, each of the performers could bring home a star.
After a few years, if you ask me what I remember about Last Stories 2, I will tell you that Sensharma is as skilled a filmmaker as he is an actor. He directs the second short film with such subtlety that it is indistinguishable. It certainly helps that his vision is brought to life by two wonderful actors, Shome (as Isheta) and Subhash (as Seema) and a writer like Pooja Tolani.
Short explores not only the female gaze, voyeurism and a refreshingly honest take on consent, but also explores themes of class division and confronts several different conceptions of desire. Both Shome and Subhash carry the emotional (and sexual) weight of this story on their shoulders with performances that feel both polished and raw. What happens when Ishieta and her husband enter her house to find domestic help in the throes of passion?
The filmmakers imbue the story with subtle eccentricity; such as placing desire outside the heteronormative binary.
Directed by R Balki, the first short film focuses on a grandmother (played by Neena Gupta) who insists that her granddaughter has sex with her daughter-in-law. For her Indian family, this thought is as shameful as it is, it highlights the unnecessary shame we associate with sex, and female pleasure in particular.
Gupta's performance is commendable, but this is also a role she could have written herself. The actor deserves more diverse roles using his skills, as evidenced by his work from Panchayat to Vadh. Maybe the offer is light, but no more. Mrunal Thakur and Angad Bedi give good performances but nothing much to write home about.
Perhaps the most talked about short from Last Stories 2 is the one starring Tamanna Bhatia and Vijay Varma. Is it worth the hype? Not even close.
While on the road, Vijay's (Vijay) car breaks down and he ends up coming face to face with his estranged wife Shanti (Bhatiya), who has left more questions than answers. This is one prime example of taking two quality performers at short and doing next to nothing with them. Between Sensharma and the final short, Sujoy Ghosh's contribution stands out like a sore thumb.
It's a shame that this story should have shined in director Sujoy Ghosh's capable hands, as he has managed to discover with his earlier works like Kahaani and Ahalya.
Titled 'Sweet Stories', it leaves wide narrative chasms for filmmakers to explore and Amit Sharma's film takes a different path than the shorts that preceded it. Sharma stars Kajol and Kumud Mishra in lead roles. The story of Chanda (Kajol) is a woman who tries to channel her agency into an abusive marriage. Her husband (played by Mishra) uses his caste privileges as a shield in a deeply patriarchal society, treating everyone around him as indispensable.Set in a sprawling venue, the toxicity and suffocation of such a large space resonated through the short lead performance. A patriarch with a strong grasp of any form of power, a rani with a metaphorical crown on his head, and a son eager to escape boundaries.
Kajol is the highlight of the short film and once again proves that she is one of the best actresses that Bollywood can boast of.
Kajol is the highlight of the short film and once again proves that she is one of the best actresses that Bollywood can boast of.His eyes are expressive enough that the dialogues don't matter much and for an inner troubled character like him, this aspect adds to the experience of watching the show. It's this act that keeps the show going, despite the fact that its character's ending seems more about suspense than merit.Lust Stories 2 loosens its no-nonsense offerings with vivid tales of desire, power, greed, and lust. Without two shorts that actually work, this sequel to the much more entertaining Lust Stories would be forgettable at best.
Set in a sprawling venue, the toxicity and suffocation of such a large space resonated through the short lead performance. A patriarch with a strong grasp of any form of power, a rani with a metaphorical crown on his head, and a son eager to escape boundaries.
His eyes are expressive enough that the dialogues don't matter much and for an inner troubled character like him, this aspect adds to the experience of watching the show. It's this act that keeps the show going, despite the fact that its character's ending seems more about suspense than merit.
Lust Stories 2 loosens its no-nonsense offerings with vivid tales of desire, power, greed, and lust. Without two shorts that actually work, this sequel to the much more entertaining Lust Stories would be forgettable at best.
If you have any douts, Please let me know