LSD 2 (Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2) Review:  Over two decades after the first Love Sex Aur Dhokha film shook the country, the film made a comeback. Also, Dibakar Banerjee has decided to use the “Like, Share, and Download” as his new subplots this time around. The movie looks at the internet from a Gen Z viewpoint, but it also includes some original features. Similar to the previous movie, he tells three stories while expressing his opinions about the internet culture of the day. Noor, a woman going through a transformation, is the focus of the first movie. She competes in a dancing competition that resembles a reality programme akin to Bigg Boss. She goes all out to sell her pitiful tale to the camera in an attempt to win over the viewer’s compassion and victory points. In an attempt to garner more “likes,” she even phones her mother, who hasn’t talked to her in over two years.
In the second narrative, Share, the main character is Kullu, a transgender woman who works at a city metro station and is also a YouTuber. She experiences sexual harassment one evening, which sets off a chain of events that includes the police investigation and the effect it has on her career. However, there is a more significant fact that is related to “sharing.”
In the third story, Download, a young player gets into serious difficulties because of his insatiable need for more followers. Online leaks of purported images of him with another guy led to widespread speculation that he was gay. He begins to doubt reality when the AI world enters the picture as he is trying to defend himself.
Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 explores the dark web via a queer lens, attempting to illustrate the ways in which a particular group and Generation Z have been impacted by the connection to cameras. While the prose isn’t very novel, the method is. Dibakar Banerjee chooses to take LSD in the original manner, which prevents him from travelling far. The stories displayed, particularly those of Noor and Kullu, appear out of date.
Noor’s story seems clichéd in a time when there are several examples of actual individuals going to great lengths on reality programmes in order to gain likes. It resembles a summary of the most significant occasions over the years, but with BTS moments. Dibakar attempts to tell the stories of Noor’s life with a liberal helping of satire, yet some of the intended shock moments come off as uninteresting. Using more shock value components, Rakhi Sawant has created a better parody of reality on social media sites like Instagram.
I was very much in tears several times during this chapter. particularly the scene where Tusshar Kapoor breaks down in tears at the drop of a hat. It seemed like a playful jab at the judges of reality TV. I couldn’t stop laughing when Anu Malik (yep, you read that correctly—he stars in this movie) projected his pre-Me-too Indian Idol character.
Dibakar got the chance to go deeply into an important problem with Kullu. The subject matter was daring and novel for the big screen, and it may have sparked discussion. But it appears that the director was unsure about his strategy. He crammed in so many details—from the lower pay trans women receive to office politics and even karma—that the chapter becomes too dense and loses focus on the main theme of the movie. The title of “Share” is not thoroughly explored in Kullu’s narrative. This was a potentially powerful story, and I wish it had been handled better.
But I did remain interested in the third story. Under the heading Download, the tale introduces elements of the meta-universe, influencer culture, and more. It was refreshing since the issue isn’t properly covered on the big screen, especially when it comes to India’s bad aspects. However, it wasn’t sufficient to keep the movie intact.
Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’s performance helps the movie a little, despite the screenplay’s shortcomings. As Noor, Paritosh Tiwari makes a powerful impression on screen. Though just as charming as Kullu, Bonita Rajpurohit is eclipsed by the outstanding Swastika Mukherjee. With her portrayal of a girl who flirts with her emotions in a work environment, Swastika captures your interest in each moment. Urfi Javed made another appearance to remember. She adds some fun to the group. Additionally, Abhinav Santosh Singh performs well.
Dibakar Banerjee need to have given the songs a little more thought as well. The original title track, performed by Kailash Kher, is still a fantastic song. The new one, however, lacks this recall value.
Bottom line
Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 fails to provide a genuine image of the issue in a world where several initiatives revolve on the influence of social media on human behaviour. If you don’t have anything else to do this weekend, I would only suggest watching Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2.
