Lust Stories 3 trailer: From candles to fireworks, desire gets complicated

Netflix has released the trailer of Lust Stories 3, the latest instalment in its anthology franchise about love, desire and complicated relationships. The new edition brings together filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, with a cast that includes Konkona Sen Sharma, Radhika Apte, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Vijay Varma and Abhishek Banerjee.

The anthology is set to premiere on Netflix on September 18.

If the trailer is anything to go by, Lust Stories 3 is keeping its usual mix of romance, desire, awkwardness and humour intact. Across four stories, its characters find themselves navigating intimate situations, marital frustrations, misunderstandings and the occasional conversation that probably shouldn't be happening in polite company.

Aditi Rao Hydari appears to be at the centre of one of the stories. In one scene, she explains that women aren't like light bulbs that can simply be switched on and off. Instead, she compares them to candles, saying they "don't simply burn, we melt". Later, she tells her students that vulgarity depends on the writer's intention and aesthetics. The rather academic conversation, of course, soon takes a more suggestive turn.

In another story, Radhika Madan and Ali Fazal play a married couple dealing with frustration in their relationship. When Radhika tells Ali that he needs to invest if he wants returns, he responds that he has already given up his life and got married. She then asks whether he did her a favour by marrying her. Marriage, it seems, is once again proving to be a high-stakes investment.

The anthology also appears to play with humour and misunderstandings. Konkona Sen Sharma and Radhika Madan also share a funny exchange in another sequence. Konkona asks Radhika if she is ready for "fireworks", referring to what Min and Jin are doing. Radhika points out that they are in Kandivali, not Korea.

The trailer also introduces Gurfateh Pirzada and Sana Thampi as Karan and Lisa, with their brief introduction playing on a language barrier. Siddharth and Aditi, meanwhile, appear to share a more intimate dynamic. In one scene, Siddharth asks Aditi why she is "burning up". In another, he gets his bike ready and tells her that her ride is waiting. Aditi isn't impressed with the effort, though, asking why he doesn't show the same dedication when it comes to getting his wife ready.

There is also a playful exchange involving Konkona, Radhika, Abhishek Banerjee and Vijay Varma. Konkona asks Abhishek whether he is only good at wrapping or can unwrap too. The trailer ends on a playful note with a line about everything getting swapped in the water, with left becoming right and right becoming left.

The four stories are directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, each bringing a different approach to the anthology.

Lust Stories 3 premieres on Netflix on September 18.