Sex on screen has been restricted to reflecting male fantasies. Regardless of the filmmaker’s gender, women have been featured through the man’s lens. To date, female orgasms and sexuality have been reduced to either myths or punchlines. Even in times of online dating and casual hook-ups, Indian women expressing their sexual desire is frowned upon. Talking about premarital sex among consenting adults — men and women — is still scandalous.
Discussing female sexuality has been a slow and long journey. It is still far to ask ‘What Women Want'? However, the second season of the much-anticipated Lust Stories is a respite from the manifestation of the male gaze and acknowledges the existence of desire in a woman’s life publicly. Moreover, it acknowledges the importance of a ‘test drive’ (premarital sex) before marriage.
This forces us to explore the grey areas of woman’s desires and how far would she or the society go to except her desires and sexuality.
Still from Lust Stories 2 |
Desirable test drive
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The series highlights the point that couples who share great sexual chemistry lead fulfilling lives in the long run. But is this acceptable? Treating a relationship like a commodity? “Absolutely right. You don’t buy a chair without checking it 10 times, so why not check the man you are going to spend your entire life with?” says Sonali Saha, a senior media professional. “There’s a lot of dependence on sexual chemistry and I think, we as women need to be more open about our choices than playing fools around the societal guidelines.”
Smruti Patwa, a digital marketing professional agrees. “If the partner is not able to physically satisfy the woman, no matter how good he is as a person, you would not be satisfied and you would look for options outside. This will break the marriage anyway. So, it’s better to know the person inside out before committing to a lifelong relationship,” says the 27-year-old.
The general idea of sex in India is considered a procedure to bear babies, anything beyond that is ruled out as unnecessary. Mrunal Thakur, the lead actor of R Balki’s story from Lust Stories, differs with the notion. “I strongly believe that having mature conversation about sex and lust is key, especially when one is young and growing up. If all impressionable minds, including kids within families, have at least one person they can have an honest discussion with about these topics, they will be less likely to seek a plethora of misinformation from the outside world,” the Jersey actor shares.
Long way to go
One has to admit that cinema and OTT has been bold and talkative about a woman’s want in last few years. This is not the first time that Hindi cinema has boldly represented or celebrated women’s desire. The industry has seen sexual reclamation make a long-awaited entrance into the realm of film production and on-screen. Films like Astitva (2000), Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016), Ajeeb Daastaans (2021), Once Again (2018), Ishqiya (2010), Veere Di Wedding (2018), among others, broke away from the tabooed view of sex and female sexuality.
Actor Rasika Dugal feels we have come a long way as far as acknowledging women as sexual beings is concerned. “Women are either shown as objects of titillation or sympathy and I think we need to change that conversation and that gaze. I hope that with better writing and more sensitivity, we can have more nuanced and interesting roles for women,” she said.
Fact remains that films that are open about lust — man’s or woman’s — are percieved as dirty by the society. A woman who discusses the same openly comes across as a bizarre idea. Made in Heaven by filmmaker Zoya Akhtar challenged the idea that a woman has no authority over her body. Actor Kiara Advani’s character, Megha, explores pleasures that exist without a husband in the first season of Lust Stories. She also confronts her husband and in-laws on how a woman desires more than just children.
With this rebellious construct of featuring women as catalysts, some filmmakers have, to a certain extent, tried to represent female desire and celebrated its complexity in ways that liberate and empower women to speak up rightfully.
Whether it brings about a change in the society, remains to be seen.
