Netflix is bringing back one of its most talked-about Indian anthology franchises with Lust Stories 3, and this time the creative lineup is particularly hard to ignore. The third instalment brings together Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, with each filmmaker directing a separate story about love, desire, intimacy and complicated human connections. The anthology will premiere globally on Netflix on September 18, giving viewers four fresh stories in a single release. With Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Vijay Varma, Siddharth and Ali Fazal among the cast, the new chapter is arriving with a very different combination of performers and filmmakers.
The announcement also confirms that Lust Stories 3 is continuing the format that has defined the franchise from the beginning. Rather than asking one filmmaker to carry an entire feature-length story, the anthology allows four directors to approach similar themes from completely different creative angles. Netflix describes the new stories as explorations of love, lust, relationships and repressed desire, with the emphasis placed on emotional complexity and the things people often struggle to express. That makes the director lineup just as important as the cast because each segment is expected to carry its own distinct cinematic personality.
Lust Stories 3 Release Date And Cast
Lust Stories 3 will stream exclusively on Netflix from September 18, 2026. Netflix made the premiere announcement on September 5, confirming that the anthology will arrive as four interconnected-by-theme but standalone stories rather than as a conventional episodic drama. The platform has already listed the film under its romance and anthology categories, with Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari and Radhika Apte among its highlighted stars.
The ensemble gives the new instalment plenty of variety. Radhika Apte and Konkona Sen Sharma headline Vikramaditya Motwane’s segment, which also features Vijay Varma and Abhishek Banerjee, while Shakun Batra’s story brings together Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan. Kiran Rao’s segment introduces newcomer Sana Thampi alongside Gurfateh Pirzada, while Vishal Bhardwaj’s story features Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth. The combinations alone suggest that viewers will be moving between very different relationships and character dynamics across the anthology.
One of the most interesting additions is Sana Thampi, who is entering the anthology alongside a cast filled with established performers. Her pairing with Gurfateh Pirzada gives Rao’s segment a relatively fresh screen combination, while Bhardwaj’s decision to bring together Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth creates another pairing that is likely to attract attention. The film therefore balances familiar faces from the earlier Lust Stories universe with actors who bring a newer energy to the format. That mixture should help the third instalment feel like a new chapter rather than a simple continuation.
Four Directors, Four Different Takes
The director lineup is arguably the biggest reason to watch Lust Stories 3. Vikramaditya Motwane is known for films and series that often combine strong character work with carefully constructed worlds, while Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies demonstrated her ability to find humour and emotion in everyday social situations. Shakun Batra has previously explored complicated relationships in films such as Kapoor & Sons and Gehraiyaan, making the themes of intimacy and emotional conflict familiar territory for him. Vishal Bhardwaj, meanwhile, brings a filmmaking language shaped by crime, drama, literary adaptation and psychologically complex characters.
That variety is exactly what has kept the Lust Stories format interesting. The first anthology, released in 2018, brought together Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar, with stories examining desire, marriage, intimacy and changing expectations around relationships. The film went on to earn International Emmy nominations, including recognition for Radhika Apte, and became an important Netflix title for conversations around female pleasure and sexuality in mainstream Indian storytelling.
The franchise returned in 2023 with Lust Stories 2, which again used four separate filmmaking voices. Konkona Sen Sharma, R Balki, Sujoy Ghosh and Amit Ravindernath Sharma directed the segments, while the cast included names such as Kajol, Mrunal Thakur, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vijay Varma, Neena Gupta and Angad Bedi. The third chapter is therefore following a formula that has become central to the franchise: retain the broad thematic idea while completely refreshing the creative team and characters.
That reinvention matters because an anthology about relationships can easily become repetitive if every chapter approaches intimacy in the same way. Lust Stories 3 has instead assembled four directors whose filmographies suggest very different ways of looking at people and their choices. Netflix has also emphasised themes such as power, vulnerability, agency and compromise, indicating that the new stories are intended to go beyond the surface-level idea of romance or physical attraction.
What To Expect From Lust Stories 3
The makers are keeping the individual storylines largely under wraps, and that may work in the anthology’s favour. Rather than explaining every relationship before release, the promotional campaign has focused on the directors, actors and larger themes. That approach allows viewers to enter each short film without knowing exactly where the story is headed. For a franchise built around emotional complications and unexpected choices, keeping those details hidden can make the eventual viewing experience more rewarding.
Netflix’s official description points toward stories dealing with love, lust, relationships and repressed desire through contemporary perspectives. The platform has also stressed that the four segments are emotionally distinct, with each filmmaker bringing a different point of view while exploring the same broad territory of human connection. In other words, the new edition is not being sold as four versions of the same relationship story. It is being positioned as four separate interpretations of what people want, hide, compromise on or struggle to say aloud.
The production team behind the anthology includes RSVP and Flying Unicorn Entertainment, with Ronnie Screwvala and Ashi Dua among the producers. Netflix’s Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh has described the franchise’s strength as its ability to reinvent itself while beginning from a shared human impulse and arriving at different emotional conclusions. That philosophy remains central to the third edition, where four directors are being given room to create their own worlds within the same thematic framework.
For viewers who have followed the franchise since 2018, the third instalment also carries the question of whether the format can still feel provocative without relying simply on shock value. The strongest entries in an anthology like this tend to work because the intimacy is connected to character, conflict and social circumstances rather than existing purely for effect. With filmmakers such as Motwane, Rao, Batra and Bhardwaj involved, there is reason to expect the new stories to focus on the emotional consequences behind the relationships as much as the relationships themselves.
With the September 18 premiere approaching, the next major step will be the trailer and individual promotional material for the four segments. Until then, the cast combinations and director lineup are doing most of the work in building curiosity. If the third chapter successfully gives each filmmaker enough space to establish a distinct voice, Lust Stories 3 could once again turn a familiar subject into four very different conversations.
Lust Stories 3 Q&A
When will Lust Stories 3 release on Netflix?
Lust Stories 3 will premiere globally on Netflix on September 18, 2026. The anthology will arrive exclusively on the streaming platform with four new stories directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj.
Who are the directors of Lust Stories 3?
The four directors are Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj. Each filmmaker has directed an independent segment exploring relationships, desire, intimacy and human connection. Their contrasting filmmaking styles are one of the biggest attractions of the new anthology.
Who stars in Lust Stories 3?
The ensemble includes Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Sana Thampi, Vijay Varma, Abhishek Banerjee, Siddharth, Ali Fazal and Gurfateh Pirzada. Netflix has confirmed the full ensemble as part of the third instalment.
Which actors are paired in the four Lust Stories 3 segments?
Vikramaditya Motwane’s segment features Radhika Apte and Konkona Sen Sharma alongside Vijay Varma and Abhishek Banerjee. Shakun Batra’s story stars Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan, Kiran Rao’s segment features Gurfateh Pirzada and Sana Thampi, while Vishal Bhardwaj’s story stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth.
What is Lust Stories 3 about?
The anthology explores love, lust, relationships, intimacy and repressed desire through four separate contemporary stories. Netflix has also highlighted themes including vulnerability, agency, power and compromise. The individual plotlines have largely been kept under wraps ahead of the premiere.
How is Lust Stories 3 connected to the earlier films?
The third instalment follows the same anthology format established by Lust Stories in 2018 and continued with Lust Stories 2 in 2023. Each chapter brings together four directors and separate stories that examine desire and relationships from different perspectives. The new edition refreshes both the filmmaking team and most of its cast while retaining the franchise’s central thematic identity.
