Sep 18, 2026 5:35pm IST
‘Lust Stories 3’ Review: Big Names, Hot Chemistry, Lukewarm Climax
Ever since Kiara Advani shook up Indian television with a buzzworthy vibrator scene in Karan Johar’s 2018 short, and Konkona Sen Sharma held up a mirror to cross-class voyeurism in 2023, Netflix’s “Lust Stories” has carried serious cultural weight. The anthology made a habit of stripping away conservative double meanings and bringing premarital passions, extramarital spats, and forbidden desires straight into the spotlight. Naturally, returning for a third round with a heavy-hitting roster of directors and stars sends expectations through the roof. But while “Lust Stories 3” promises to go all the way, the actual experience is a classic case of mixed signals, teasing genuine brilliance one moment and pulling back into familiar routine the next.
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Vikramaditya Motwane
The opening installment tackles the quiet stagnation of long-term marriage and the modern impulse to reignite passion through swapping partners. While the premise touches on realities many couples quietly navigate behind closed doors, it ultimately feels too superficial for a premise demanding fresh excitement. Relying on simple prop discoveries to comment on marital boredom feels somewhat outdated for 2026. The segment is redeemed by magnetic performances, particularly from Konkona Sen Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, who bring grounded gravity to their roles even as Vijay Varma and Radhika Apte are left with surprisingly thin material. The narrative starts with an engaging premise about female connection and emotional support, but it retreats into a conventional climax, missing the chance to land a truly satisfying punch.
Kiran Rao
Kiran Rao brings a distinct atmospheric control to the second story, capturing city dynamics with elegance and visual polish. Her central premise introduces a risky, thrill-seeking narrative involving a relationship with twins, offering precisely the kind of bold intrigue audiences hope for. However, the execution favors suspense over sensuality. Rather than delving into the emotional complexities or raw physical heat that the title demands, the narrative leans heavily into standard thriller tropes. It offers a slick surface without digging deep into the psychological fallout of forbidden attraction, leaving the segment feeling lighter than the world requires.
Shakun Batra
Shakun Batra delivers what is easily the most compelling and relatable segment of the collection. Exploring how physical intimacy can act as both a battlefield and a therapeutic release, Batra captures the suffocating pressure of inherited marital expectations. Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan share palpable chemistry, portraying a couple whose physical connection becomes their only functional language when verbal communication completely breaks down. Their intimate scenes are crafted with intention, showing a rare quiet where all surrounding noise fades away. While the plot stumbles slightly by making the ultimate decision to walk away from a marriage seem simpler than Indian social reality usually permits, Batra excels at revealing how devastatingly painful familiar, ordinary relationship decay can be.
Vishal Bhardwaj
Closing the anthology, Vishal Bhardwaj crafts a period narrative set four decades ago in Hyderabad, focusing on a woman pouring her suppressed desires into an erotic novel that becomes an unexpected phenomenon. With a longer runtime, Bhardwaj builds an exquisite old-school romance featuring real-life partners Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari. The segment captures the internal conflict of a woman unlearning internalized patriarchy and daring to enjoy her own passion. A standout Gajraj Rao gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as a progressive father-in-law, quietly asserting that a woman’s identity inside a home extends beyond motherhood to include her dreams and ambitions. It is a slow, poetic exploration where the story itself emerges as the true star, leaving a lasting emotional aftertaste.
Ultimately, this third edition does not quite achieve the consistent brilliance of its predecessors, occasionally mistaking narrative twists for genuine emotional revelations. Yet, its true value remains in its persistent commitment to the female gaze. By treating women not merely as subjects of male attention but as complex individuals navigating their own desires, the collection offers moments of real beauty. Bhardwaj’s closing segment reminds us that the most fascinating aspect of lust is not the physical act itself, but the transformation that occurs when someone finally stops pretending they do not feel it.
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