What Women Want & What Directors Won’t Tolerate | Lust Stories 3 | Netflix | THR Talks
The Hollywood Reporter India
111,262 views
Anupama Chopra brings together Kiran Rao, Vikramaditya Motwane, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj for a live THR Talks conversation about Netflix's Lust Stories 3, the challenge of telling a complete story in a short film, and why desire offers so much room for conflict, comedy and chaos. The four directors discuss the different kinds of discipline the format demands, watching each other’s films, and the advice and support they have exchanged over the years. Vikramaditya explains how Radhika Apte and Konkona Sen Sharma helped shape his portrayal of female desire, and how their spontaneous chemistry brought humour to a story with sadness underneath. Vishal traces his film’s origins to his adolescent reading, his later encounters with literature, and the decision to set the story in 1980s Hyderabad, with Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth as a married couple. Kiran talks about young attraction, questionable decisions and the possibilities for comedy in cramped Mumbai homes, while Shakun explores a relationship in which sex becomes a substitute for the things a couple cannot say.
The conversation moves from the films to the people making them. Kiran reflects on Mumbai as a city of desires and the daily hustle of the young people at the centre of her story. In a rapid-fire round, the directors share useful advice, their pet peeves on set, the phrases they repeat most and their most embarrassing shooting experiences — from a missing camera to an ill-timed cricket ball. Anupama also asks what gives them hope for cinema, prompting a discussion about new creators, emerging tools and a wider range of films finding audiences. Audience questions turn to producing, intimacy coordination, India’s shortage of screens and the cost of a trip to the movies. The evening closes with Vishal reflecting on the energy of performing live, the discipline of daily music practice and the mix of regret and excitement that comes with discovering a new part of his craft.
00:00 Introduction
03:57 Why short films need a different craft
08:35 Competition, envy and helping each other
10:49 Vikramaditya on filming female desire
13:18 Vishal on Hyderabad, literature and casting
17:25 Finding comedy in desire
20:24 Radhika and Konkona’s chemistry
24:54 Kiran on Mumbai as a city of desires
29:48 Rapid-fire: The best filmmaking advice
32:38 What they cannot tolerate on set
36:49 The phrases they use most on set
39:21 Their most embarrassing moments on a shoot
43:23 What gives them hope for cinema
46:32 Audience Q&A: Intimacy and the film industry
50:55 Vishal on live music and the power of practice
#LustStories3 #THRTalks #THRIndia
20 Comments
Motwane's Consenting Adults is India's answer to The Invite. It is an unapologetic & bold take on desire. Radhika Apte & Konkona Sen Sharma are truly world-class actresses. Their performances is very nuanced & deeply convincing.
Kashyap's Bandar is India's The Shawshank Redemption. Deeply rooted in Reality. The film doesn't shy away from the ugly truth. Truly remarkable.
I hope our industry had the same ecosystem of Hollywood to celebrate and reward this kind of brave boundary-pushing filmmaking.
I want to acknowledge and honour both of these masterpieces — and the courage it takes to make them.
Guys, please utilise the time and ask them interesting, meaningful questions. There’s so much to talk about beyond the gimmicks!
Producers have to demand lower ticket rates first anf then everything else in the cinema folows
What Women Want & What Directors Won’t Tolerate | Lust Stories 3 | Netflix | THR Talks
The Hollywood Reporter India
111,262 views
Anupama Chopra brings together Kiran Rao, Vikramaditya Motwane, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj for a live THR Talks conversation about Netflix's Lust Stories 3, the challenge of telling a complete story in a short film, and why desire offers so much room for conflict, comedy and chaos. The four directors discuss the different kinds of discipline the format demands, watching each other’s films, and the advice and support they have exchanged over the years. Vikramaditya explains how Radhika Apte and Konkona Sen Sharma helped shape his portrayal of female desire, and how their spontaneous chemistry brought humour to a story with sadness underneath. Vishal traces his film’s origins to his adolescent reading, his later encounters with literature, and the decision to set the story in 1980s Hyderabad, with Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth as a married couple. Kiran talks about young attraction, questionable decisions and the possibilities for comedy in cramped Mumbai homes, while Shakun explores a relationship in which sex becomes a substitute for the things a couple cannot say.
The conversation moves from the films to the people making them. Kiran reflects on Mumbai as a city of desires and the daily hustle of the young people at the centre of her story. In a rapid-fire round, the directors share useful advice, their pet peeves on set, the phrases they repeat most and their most embarrassing shooting experiences — from a missing camera to an ill-timed cricket ball. Anupama also asks what gives them hope for cinema, prompting a discussion about new creators, emerging tools and a wider range of films finding audiences. Audience questions turn to producing, intimacy coordination, India’s shortage of screens and the cost of a trip to the movies. The evening closes with Vishal reflecting on the energy of performing live, the discipline of daily music practice and the mix of regret and excitement that comes with discovering a new part of his craft.
00:00 Introduction
03:57 Why short films need a different craft
08:35 Competition, envy and helping each other
10:49 Vikramaditya on filming female desire
13:18 Vishal on Hyderabad, literature and casting
17:25 Finding comedy in desire
20:24 Radhika and Konkona’s chemistry
24:54 Kiran on Mumbai as a city of desires
29:48 Rapid-fire: The best filmmaking advice
32:38 What they cannot tolerate on set
36:49 The phrases they use most on set
39:21 Their most embarrassing moments on a shoot
43:23 What gives them hope for cinema
46:32 Audience Q&A: Intimacy and the film industry
50:55 Vishal on live music and the power of practice
#LustStories3 #THRTalks #THRIndia