The second film of Lust Stories 2 is directed by Konkana Sen Sharma, and no, it is not our bias for the talented lady that is making us say that her film goes far beyond its theme to address many other social issues. One of the prominent themes that the director touches on is the disparity and inequality in a capitalistic society. The best thing about the film is that it never tries to be preachy; it never overtly tries to give a social message, but in a very subtle manner, it effectively makes its point. There are moments that really touch you to the core, and the director tries to bring authenticity to the platter.
Most of the time in mainstream cinema, self-pity is often used as a tool to invoke emotion, but the characters here do not want you to sympathize with them. They are happy and satisfied with their lives and their circumstances, their conflicts, and the gap between the rich and the poor are so intelligently displayed that it stirs something inside you. The screenplay was already quite captivating, and it was elevated even more by the splendid performances of the two underutilized powerhouses of talents, i.e., Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash. As much as we liked The Monsoon Wedding, we believe that after that film, Tillotama Shome was stereotyped and got similar roles. We have witnessed the kind of range these two actors have, and it is a delight to watch them together on screen. One of the most powerful performances in Lust Stories 1 was by Radhika Apte, and Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash’s attention to detail did remind us of that. The men in Konkana’s world set a high benchmark, and they tell society how women expect them to be and by the margin by which they fall short of the expectations.
What Does Isheeta See In Her House?
Isheeta came back from work early one day as she had a very bad headache, but the moment she entered her house and saw what was happening there, she forgot all her pain and discomfort. Isheeta walked in on her maid when she was indulging in an intimate moment with her husband, and not knowing what she should do, she immediately stepped out of the house and called her friend to tell her what she had seen. Seema and her husband were making love to each other in Isheeta’s bedroom, and the latter got a very weird feeling, one that she had never had in her life. Isheeta was lonely, and it had been a while since she had been with someone else in a relationship or even gone out on a date. That night, after changing the bedsheets, when Isheeta lay on her bed, she felt her loneliness more than ever, and she broke down.
The next day, Isheeta did something very unlike herself. She went back home at the same time, hoping that she would see Seema once again involved in an intimate moment. Isheeta was scared that Seema would get to know that she was watching them, but she also felt this strange excitement that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Watching two people indulge in a passionate act of lovemaking gave Isheeta butterflies, and she became addicted to it. Every day, she used to make some or other excuse at her workplace and drop by her home just to watch her maid. Seema didn’t know about this for the longest time, but one day she heard the door opening and realized that Isheeta had come back early. Seema got paranoid, as she thought that Isheeta would get angry, but nothing of the sort happened. Seema saw that Isheeta liked watching them, and probably, that is why she continued doing what she had planned. It was a very weird feeling for Seema, but she still carried on with what she did every afternoon. She made love to her husband, and this time she liked it even more because Isheeta was watching her while she was at it. Even Seema’s husband asked her that night what had happened to her in the afternoon since he, too, felt the difference, but she didn’t say anything to him and kept smirking.
How Do Isheeta And Seema Reconcile?
Even when Seema knew that Isheeta wasn’t offended by seeing her use her bedroom behind her back, she felt that Isheeta would fire her. Seema was elated when Isheeta called her the next morning to inquire why she had not come to make food. Seema got dressed and gladly went to her house. This entire system of Isheeta coming back from work early and secretly watching Seema and her husband went on for some time, but one day, something untoward happened. Isheeta came back home at the usual time, and she was quietly moving around in the house when she saw a lizard, and she screamed by mistake. Seema’s husband realized that someone was outside, totally unaware that Isheeta was present there every day. Isheeta felt that she had been caught off guard and had no clue how she should react. She couldn’t just tell Seema’s husband what was happening, and so to protect herself from the embarrassment, she started shouting at Seema for betraying her trust and using her house for such purposes.
Seems was also stunned at that moment, but now, even her ego was bruised, and so she retaliated with full force. Seema’s husband tried handling the situation by making her quiet, but Seema was in no mood to hear him. That man kept apologizing to Isheeta on behalf of his wife, but Seema went on arguing. Isheeta, in a fit of rage and fear, went to the extent of saying that she was disgusted by Seema, and that was something that pinched Seema so bad that she decided to leave the job immediately. Seema felt disrespected, but her husband didn’t feel bad, probably because he knew how society treated the poor. He was used to being cursed by the people, but Seema had started believing that her relationship with Isheeta was not like that. For a moment, she forgot that domestic workers did not have the right to feel bad, and she came back home, deciding to never ever go back to working for Isheeta. Her husband tried telling her not to take Isheeta’s words to heart because the rich were like that, and he told her that they shouldn’t expect to be treated with dignity anyway.
Isheeta felt bad after subjecting Seema to such behavior. She felt bad for what she said because she was not that kind of woman, and in the heat of the moment, she reacted because she felt vulnerable and defenseless. After many days, Isheeta bumped into Seema while buying vegetables, and both of them just wanted to apologize for what had happened that day. Seema asked Isheeta if she could come back to work, as she had sensed that Isheeta wanted the same. Even before Seema could finish her sentence, Isheeta took out the key to her house and gave it to her. Seema accepted that she liked being watched by Isheeta with a gleeful smile. The second story of Lust Stories 2 ended on this sweet note, and though it was an unlikely relationship that they had developed, which most people obviously wouldn’t understand, seeing the happiness on their faces made us realize how much they needed each other’s presence in their lives.
