There is something about the Lust Stories franchise that has always worked. You know you are going to get complicated relationships, desire, awkward conversations and people making questionable choices, but the fun lies in seeing how different filmmakers interpret all of it.

The first Lust Stories, released in 2018, managed to do that rather well because each story had its own voice. The 2023 sequel had its moments too, although it did not quite leave the same impact across all four segments.

So, the third installment has a fair amount riding on it. And then there is the cast. Radhika Apte and Konkona Sensharma are back, while Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Vijay Varma, Abhishek Banerjee, Ali Fazal, Siddharth, Gurfateh Pirzada and Sana Thampi join them. Add Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj as the four directors, and the combination is hard to ignore.

But does the trailer make you want to know more about the stories? Well, yes and no. Four stories, plenty of clues, very few answers. The trailer gives us glimpses of four seemingly different worlds. There is a workplace setting where something clearly seems off between colleagues. Then there is a couple sitting inside a car, surrounded by that very specific kind of silence where you know a conversation is about to go horribly wrong.

Watch the trailer of Lust Stories 3 below

Another segment appears to be set around a younger crowd, with women, gossip and what looks like a college or PG (Paying Guest) setup. And then there is the holiday story, complete with boats, sunshine and what initially looks like a happy couple before things, predictably, start getting awkward.

Visually, the stories do feel different. The cooler workplace portions sit in contrast to the brighter, warmer holiday sequences. That works because one of the best things about an anthology is being able to feel that you are moving from one filmmaker’s world to another. And here, the four directors seem to have retained their individual styles.

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More drama, more chaos… but where are the stories? This is where the trailer starts getting a little frustrating. Just when something interesting seems to be happening, it cuts away. A hand near a doorway. A wedding ring. A look that lasts a second longer than it should. An embrace. Two people sitting together but looking like they would rather be anywhere else. Everything seems to mean something. But what?

The trailer keeps throwing around words like “drama”, “chaos”, “expectations” and “heartbreak”, but gives us very little context to understand what these stories are actually about. At some point, you are left wondering: “Okay, but what is actually happening here?”

That is perhaps the biggest issue with the trailer. For a franchise that has always depended on its stories and characters, this one feels surprisingly light on both. There isn’t really that one dialogue or moment that makes you immediately think, “I need to know what happens next.”

Instead, the trailer seems to be saying: Look at the cast, look at the directors. You know what Lust Stories is about. Come for the chaos. And honestly, that may be enough.

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The names attached to this anthology are strong enough to create curiosity on their own. But it also makes the trailer feel a little too safe. It gives us the mood, the chemistry and the promise of messy relationships, while keeping the actual meat of the stories hidden.

The litmus test begins on September 18

There is still plenty to be curious about. Four filmmakers with very different sensibilities, working with an ensemble this strong, is not something you can simply write off. The visual differences between the stories are encouraging too. They suggest that this isn’t going to feel like one long film chopped into four parts.

For now, though, Lust Stories 3 is selling us the names, the faces, the chemistry, the chaos and, of course, the heartbreak. The only thing it isn’t selling us yet is the story. And perhaps that is exactly what the makers want us to wait for. Lust Stories 3 premieres on Netflix on September 18.