Lust Stories 3

“This is a disappointingly unsexy film, with an unforgivably long running time. There are a couple of bright spots, a couple of good shots, a couple of fine actors, but too little to arouse admiration. Despite its name, Netflix's anthology is undone by weak writing and flat comedy—and the lust never gets past lukewarm.”

“The third and latest instalment returns to the original promise, and excels in fulfilling that promise, with flying colours. Each of the stories in Lust Stories 3 embrace its sexuality with great vigour. There is no beating around the bush anymore, no skirting around.”

“Lust Stories 3 continues its tradition of offering attractively-wrapped pieces of provocation in a box. Only this time, it doesn't dwell too deep into the emotions of sex and enjoys it for what it is.”

“Lust Stories 3 is ultimately an uneven but sincere anthology. Some segments lean heavily on their premise or twist, but the film's biggest strength is its willingness to treat female desire as an important part of relationships rather than a taboo subject. Rather than being simply about lust, the film uses desire to explore loneliness, insecurity, communication and the need for emotional and physical connection.”

“On the whole, LUST STORIES 3 makes for a reasonably entertaining watch, thanks to its interesting concepts, fine performances and some genuinely engaging moments. However, the excessive runtime, uneven storytelling and, most importantly, the lack of a bold and memorable lust-driven sequence like the earlier instalments prevent it from making the same impact.”

“Not a single story lets you get bored, you don't even get a chance to take your eyes off the screen. The film is worth watching. If you want to understand the complexities of unfulfilled desires and modern relationships up close, then put on headphones and watch it completely alone.”

“While outwardly we may see a lot of steamy scenes, it's the quieter moments that reflect the truth buried underneath. The film is more about a collection of perspectives surrounding a shared theme rather than a conventional film featuring sex. Lust Stories 3 brings together four directors and a stellar ensemble for an anthology exploring love, desire, intimacy and the complexities of modern relationships with hits and misses.”

“There are several performances, ideas, and moments that make Lust Stories 3 worth a chance, but it does not consistently deliver the provocative impact that the premises promise. It is an uneven anthology that gets some things right but leaves several of its most interesting questions unanswered.”

“Its four stories are built around women who want, imagine, manipulate, fantasise and, most importantly, recognise that their desires matter. The stories are not interested in presenting sex as a simple expression of romance. Here, lust is tied to loneliness, marriage, survival, power and self-discovery.”

“Lust Stories 3 makes for the perfect guilty-pleasure over the weekend. It isn't complicated, it breezes through. Some stories feel too basic, while some comes off interesting in how it incorporates the female gaze and sexual needs amid life's web of frustration with marriages and relationships.”

“Lust Stories 3 is not as powerful as one might expect from the anthology's premise or its formidable line-up of filmmakers. There are moments of genuine beauty, sharp observations and performances that linger, but the stories do not always possess the moral ambiguity and emotional aftertaste that made the earlier films so compelling.”

“Each one is more atrocious than the other. The premise of all four attempts was promising yet each one falls flat like the expectations of its women. So, even if you have absolutely nothing meaningful to do, skip Lust Stories 3.”

“The ideas are more interesting than their execution. Perhaps that is the fatal flaw of the Lust Stories franchise: it keeps giving us filmmakers worth watching, but not always films that are worth remembering.”

“Lust Stories 3 is still in the sort-of-safe to be watched at work, opting to be mildly risky rather than boldly risque. The one-woman-to-three-men ratio is intact, with Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj tackling aspects of love and carnality—Bhardwaj's final episode proving the most memorable, delivering lushness and lustiness through Aditi Rao Hydari's terrific performance.”

“If the birth of Lust Stories was a shout for liberation, a tearing down of the velvet curtains that long hid Indian intimacy, then the third iteration is the echo. It treats desire not as a provocative statement, but as a messy mirror. However, like Bhardwaj's take, the short doesn't fully bridge the gap between what it means and what it actually shows—when the subtext and the surface narrative don't fully synchronise, the narrative loses its grip.”