R Balki On His Lust Stories 2 Segment: 'Families Are Created Through Lust'

Long gone are the days when the Hindi film industry would sum up intimate scenes metaphorically with flowers and brushing bushes. Now, four eminent Bollywood directors joined forces to explore the bold topic of sex, desire, and love in Lust Stories 2. Filmmaker R Balki’s segment Made For Each Other starring Neena Gupta, Mrunal Thakur, and Angad Bedi highlights the life of a widowed and religious grandmother who advises her granddaughter to have plenty of sex with her fiance before they decided to get married. During an interaction with Hindustan Times, the director explained why he chose to make his segment a family-friendly lust story.

R Balki revealed he wanted to create something that can be watched with family members. “I just wanted to do a lust story that the whole family can watch. Families are created through lust also na? Only love can’t create a family, right?” When asked why his part did not include any sex scenes, the director explained he wanted to showcase a real home where intimacy happens behind closed doors. But his main goal was to get the topic addressed. “I really set out to make a ‘family lust story.’ I wanted it to be like a real home. You can do it behind closed doors. You don’t have to show it to people, but the topics have to be addressed,” he added.

The filmmaker also highlighted his idea of displaying a modern granny in the story. R Balki believes the elderly don’t need to look cool to be cool. The old lady portrayed by Neena Gupta is shown to speak common sense. “She’s saying why are two people getting married if physical relationship is the core of everything. Yes, there’s love but try having love without lust, it’s not possible,” he continued.

R Balki refused to call the elderly character a wild person, for him she’s just normal but “very progressive.” He wished to explore how their thinking process is more casual than middle-aged people. “Elderly people have lived life. They know it’s all a charade, they know life is short. They’re just held back by societal restrictions. They don’t want to embarrass the people around them. But they’re very progressive within themselves,” he added.

R Balki also revealed that the inspiration behind the story hits home closer after being grown up around progressive elderly. According to the director, his 83-year-old mother laughed after watching his segment.

Lust Stories 2 began streaming on Netflix on Thursday, June 29.