Movie Review : Love Sex aur Dhokha (LSD) – 2011

Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2011
Running time : 1 hour 43 minutes
Director : Dibakar Banerjee
Cast : Nusrat Bharucha, Neha Chauhan, Raj Kumar Yadav, Anshuman Jha, Herry Tangri, Arya Banerjee, Amit Sial
Kid rating : A

I’ve been trying to watch this film for a very long time. It wasn’t avaibale in the local desi stores; in fact most of the shopkeepers hadn’t even heard of the name. Finally I’ve found the film at spuul.com.

This has three stories, each displaying a different emotion. The stories are interconnected in that the characters in the story know the ones in the other stories. The first is about film actress Shruti Dahiya (Nusrat Bharucha) and film director Rahul Kumar (Anshuman Jha). This is Rahul’s first film, a low-budget one in which Shruti stars. Shruti and Rahul both have big ambitions and want to be together but Shruti’s father, a boorish, greedy sort of a man has other plans for her.

The second is about Shruti’s friend Rashmi (Neha Chauhan). A fatherless girl Rashmi works as a shopgirl in a big department store. Typically middle-class, she keeps to herself and won’t hobnob with Adarsh (Raj Kumar Yadav of Kai Po Che fame) who also works in the store, although he tries very hard to strike up a friendship with her. Adarsh is in some financial trouble and is being threatened by goons. His friend suggests a way out, a way that involves Rashmi.

The third story is about Prabhat, who gets shot in Rashmi’s department store. He is a journalist wishing to do real investigative work, but his editor is only interested in the scandals that will make news. One day Prabhat saves a girl Mrignaina (Arya Banerjee) from commiting suicide, and she tells him about singer Loki Local (Herry Tangri) and promises to get him a scoop.

This is an offbeat sort of a film. A lot of the film is viewed via cameras being held by the characters in the film. In the first, the protagonist is a director so we see many of the shots via his camera. In the second, the store in which Rashmi works has recently been fitted with surveillance cameras so we see much of the action via those. In the third the protagonist is a cameramen who takes his camera everywhere.

The film’s characters are etched with care and in great detail – quite commendable since each story is short and the film itself runs under 2 hours. The actors are fantastic. The stories showcase the grimy side of contemporary life – it is a commentary on the hypocrisy, greed and double-standards of society. Money rules. Characters, especially the women are straight-jacketed in society’s diktats of morality – so-called honor is highly valued but perceived to be easily lost.

A very good watch – highly recommended.