Lust Stories 3: All Endings Explained

Netflix’s ‘Lust Stories 3’ returns with four directors, Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra, and Vishal Bhardwaj, coming together to create four distinct perspectives on lust, love, and every bend of emotion that lies in between. Where the first story journeys alongside two women as they experiment with partner swapping, the second blends an unusual romance with a crime saga. The third story, then, takes a more somber turn, tracking a relationship amid a six-month waiting period after their divorce application, whereas the final short dials back to 1980 to trace the emergence of an unlikely erotica writer. All four of these tales in this Hindi anthology film venture into the corners of thought, desire, and actions that don’t often see the light of day, but are as worth knowing about as any other. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Lust Stories 3 Plot Synopsis

The first short film follows two best friends, Shonali and Padma, who are both in their forties and gravely dissatisfied with their sex lives. When their favorite K-drama introduces them to the idea of partner swapping, Shonali is immediately on board. While Padma has her reservations at the start, she eventually agrees, and together they make a plan without involving their partners. Under the pretext of a birthday trip to Khandala, Shonali flirts with Padma’s husband, Hemant, while trying to set her own husband, Debu, up with Padma. However, Padma, jealous and afraid of what might follow, disrupts the plan, only to later get caught trying to have sex with Debu. Elsewhere, Hemant has a minor accident and has to be put in an ambulance, leaving the two couples with different fates.

In the second short film, a delivery person named Karan begins a relationship with Lisa, a nail artist. What he doesn’t tell her throughout their relationship, however, is that he is secretly also a drug dealer, along with his twin brother, Arjun. When their boss leaves them with a huge packet of drugs just as their mother pays them a visit, Karan decides to hide the drugs in Lisa’s house, creating a spare set of keys to enter and exit as he pleases. As he rapidly sells the drugs and rakes in the money, the day for transferring the money to the boss arrives. When Karan sends his brother Arjun to collect the cash, the latter has an unexpected encounter with Lisa, who, thinking he is Karan, has sex with him. With the payment delayed by a week, Arjun spends the next few days pretending to be Karan, just to have sex with Lisa, until time runs out.

The third short begins with Sailee and Varun filing for divorce a few years after their marriage, citing a complete lack of intimacy. While both wish to avoid the six-month cool-down period, the judge nonetheless rules that they must wait that long to confirm their decision. When Sailee arrives at Varun’s house to pick up her stuff, they begin arguing about who gets to keep a painting, and this soon leads to sex, and then another argument. This, in turn, sets off a chain reaction that makes the divorce proceedings increasingly chaotic, only for the two of them to regularly have angry sex. When their couple therapist suggests that this might be a coping mechanism obscuring a real desire to talk things out, both Sailee and Varun begin reconsidering what they feel for each other.

The final story goes back in time to the 1980s, when Saira, a teacher with a love for literature, discovers that her class has stumbled upon a more enticing text. In comes the erotica works of Macy & Ben, which also end up having an effect on Saira and her thoughts about sex. While she is deeply in love with her partner, Badru, a doctor by profession, their sex life is far from ideal. One day, Saira decides to pour these frustrations into an erotica of her own, merging the appeal of a pulp book with the artistic merit of a Manto text. Though she intends this story to only remain in her circle of students, one day the manuscript gets lost, only to reappear as a best-selling book published under the pseudonym of Raseeli Jaan. The publishers, as it turns out, want Saira to write more of these works, but before that, she must share the truth with Badru and see where the story goes next.

Will Shonali Leave Debu? Do Padma and Hemant Get Back Together?

The first story in ‘Lust Stories 3’ ends with Shonali dancing with David Lobo, the hotel employee, with the implication being that they are about to have an affair. However, it is narratively important that this isn’t outright confirmed, as it’s ultimately Shonali’s decision to do whatever she wishes. In a way, the chaos of this trip to Khandala frees her from the psychological box that she was trapped in, one that pushed her to fantasize about swapping partners, without realizing the weight and consequences of it actually happening. Her real awakening, however, happens much later, when she hallucinates the two leads from ‘Swing Swing’ motivating her into defining her own version of joy, pleasure, and satisfaction, one that doesn’t center around appealing to the men in her life.

Regardless of whether Shonali has sex with David, it is certain that her life with Debu will never be the same. It might even be that this is her first step in ending this marriage and starting a new life. This development comes rather unusually for Shonali, whose first reaction upon discovering Debu and Padma together isn’t rage but confusion about why this happened to her rather than Padma. After all, this is a plan that the two of them started together, but throughout the story, Padma and Debu are the ones who hit it off, whereas Shonali finds herself struggling to find some chemistry with Hemant. While the ending likely brings Shonali and Padma’s friendship to a bitter finish, it is also a chance for them to evolve for the first time in years.

Unlike Shonali, Padma ends up finding comfort in her relationship with Hemant, and the two of them get intimate after a long time, that too in a moving ambulance. While Padma is yet to reveal to her husband that she almost had sex with his friend, it is very likely that they will be more honest with each other from this point onwards. Having survived the emotional storm that is this trip, both realize that what they really need is not just physical intimacy, which she could have gotten with Debu, but also emotional intimacy. Their sex in the ambulance works as a visual representation of their marriage, quite literally recovering from a blow.

What Happens to the Money? Where Does Lisa Go?

The second short film ends with Lisa outsmarting both Karan and Arjun as she runs away with the money to start her own nail salon business. As it turns out, she discovered the money hidden inside her washroom quite a while ago, and that, coupled with the drugs, makes it easy to figure out what is really going on. This prompts her to keep a closer watch on when Karan enters and exits the house, and from there, the secret about Arjun is unintentionally revealed as well. Instead of reacting to this betrayal, however, she bides her time and waits for the perfect opportunity to get the money for her own goals, knowing that the cash in her washroom will only grow for now.

The moment arrives when Lisa overhears Arjun telling Karan about the week-long delay in the payment, which means that she has only seven days to figure out when, where, and how to escape. After swapping the money with fake notes, Lisa quits her job and seemingly vanishes overnight, and we see her only later, at a hotel in an unknown location, basking in the glory of what she has pulled off. It certainly serves as karmic justice for the twins, while giving her a chance to follow her dreams in the face of an increasingly unforgiving world. The money she has goes on to fund Lisa & Baby’s Beauty Secret, and the play on the “secret” here is hard to miss.

Where Lisa gets the ultimate win in this story, Karan and Arjun’s lives get upended overnight. With the money gone, they have no choice but to pack up their bags and escape the city with their mother. The drug lords show up soon enough, only to be met with an empty room, and lakhs upon lakhs missing. Meanwhile, Karan and Arjun’s mother casually lets out the fact that they smell of the same perfume, opening a can of worms that neither of the brothers is ready for. As Karan and Arjun fight among themselves, Lisa gets to live life as she pleases, continuing the thematic pattern of the movie.

Do Sailee and Varun Get Back Together? Will They Get Divorced?

Sailee and Varun’s story in the third short film ends on an ambiguous note, but the fact that they hold hands as they enter the court does suggest that they are planning to get back together. This is largely substantiated by how the two of them actually get over their shortcomings in the scene before this, and have the first healthy, meaningful conversation in what feels like ages. With Sailee learning to express her emotions better, and Varun learning to prioritize his marriage at last, there is a good chance that their second go at a relationship will go much better than the first. However, the fact that they don’t simply get an ending where they get back together, but rather one that leaves the question unanswered, can point to something else.

Right before the court scene, Sailee and Varun agree that it feels more liberating to say “I like you” instead of confessing to love, and within the context of the ending, this can mean that they are stepping away from the relationship. Instead of trying to become the perfect partner for each other, the duo realizes that they find a lot more comfort in their friendship, as it does away with a lot of societal expectations and internal awkwardness, things they are all too familiar with. The fact that they are holding hands at the end doesn’t necessarily have a romantic connotation; it can just as easily mean that the two of them are coming to a mature, amicable decision to separate as partners while remaining the best of friends.

One interpretation for the ambiguous ending can be that the creators leave it up to the audience to decide what the best future is for Sailee and Varun. If there’s one thing that this story establishes, it’s that love and lust are ultimately projections of a deeper desire that people hold within their hearts. As such, one’s perception about what is best for them is bound to manifest in different forms and desires. Whether Sailee and Varun end up happier as friends or as couples is, then, a question that says less about the characters involved and more about one’s own perspective on relationships.

Does Badru Know Saira is Raseeli Jaan? Does Saira Become a Writer?

The final chapter of ‘Lust Stories 3’ concludes with Badru not realizing that Saira is Raseeli Jaan, all the way to the end. What he does realize, however, is that sex, and the act of pleasing one’s partner, is an art that he knew nothing about. Now, having read the book, he feels confident in his ability to have better sex, and to that end, he gladly welcomes the idea of Raseeli Jaan writing another book like ‘Chulbuli Begum.’ This implies that Saira will most likely take up Rajjo’s parents on their offer to pen a new novel and take the literary world by storm yet again.

The fact that Badru never realizes that Saira is the mystery erotica writer he’s been reading opens up a new question, one with no clear answers. It is one thing to be appreciative of the book, but completely different to realize that the writer is none other than your partner, and that the object of her fantasy might be an alternate version of you as well. This may come as a blow to Badru regarding his self-image from before, but at the end of the day, he accepts the fact that he was not sexually responsive to Saira’s needs and desires, and that is soon to change.

The bigger revelation that comes from the ending is that Saira might just become this world’s new Mastlal, ushering in a new era of erotica literature that is as enticing for women as it is for men. Where women finally feel seen with regard to their sexual and romantic desires in ‘Chulbuli Begum,’ men find an entirely new perspective on sex, as well as a guide on how to make sex enjoyable for both partners at once. Though Saira initially discards works of erotica as lacking in artistic and social merit, her own writings break free of that mold, going on to create a mini sexual revolution in her town, the impact of which also makes its way to her own life.