Lust Stories 3 arrives as the third chapter of a franchise that has never shied away from the complicated, the unconventional, or the deeply human. Bringing together four distinct filmmakers — Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra, and Vishal Bhardwaj — the anthology pushes desire into territory that is at turns unsettling, playful, messy, and nostalgic. The result earns a firm four stars.

Vikramaditya Motwane: Discomfort as a Design Choice

The opening segment is a deliberate provocation. Radhika Apte, Konkona Sensharma, Vijay Varma, and Abhishek Sharma navigate a story built around the charged concept of husband-swapping. Motwane draws on Korean fiction influences to give the segment an unusual texture — layered, slightly uncanny, and far removed from the conventions of mainstream relationship drama. It sets the anthology's tone immediately: this is not comfort viewing.

Kiran Rao: A Playful Twist on Desire

Rao pivots the mood entirely. Her segment stars Gurfateh Pirzada and Sana Thampi in a story that weaves drugs and money into its exploration of longing. The tone is light-footed without being frivolous, and the twist lands with precision precisely because the story refuses to take itself too seriously. Among the four, this is the segment most likely to leave audiences grinning.

Shakun Batra: The Chaos of Marriage

Batra turns inward. Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan anchor a segment that piles lust, therapy, family pressure, and divorce into the same frame. There is deliberate density here — the emotional clutter mirrors the relationships being examined. Critics may find it overwrought, but the chaos reads as intentional rather than unfocused.

Vishal Bhardwaj: A Period Detour to 1987

The anthology's most distinctive entry transports viewers to 1987. Aditi Rao Hydari, Sidharth, and Gajraj Rao feature in Bhardwaj's segment, which approaches sex education through a period lens with an unmistakably old-world sensibility. The inclusion of homeopathic medicines — Nux Vomica and Belladonna — as narrative devices gives the segment a quirky, almost fable-like quality that sets it apart from the rest of the film.

Verdict: Why the Anthology Format Still Works

Lust Stories 3 is sensual, willing to experiment, and — crucially — trusts its audience. Each filmmaker brings a story with its own identity rather than adhering to a shared house style. The anthology moves at a comfortable pace without over-explaining its themes or conclusions. Uncomfortable subjects, complicated emotions, and unexpected turns are not obstacles here — they are the point. Following the success of the first two instalments, the third chapter makes a persuasive case that this franchise still has stories worth telling.