Lust Stories 3 Premieres on Netflix with Radhika Apte, Aditi Rao Hydari and Ali Fazal in Four New Segments

Lust Stories 3, the third installment of Netflix India’s Emmy-nominated anthology franchise, premiered on September 18, 2026. The film brings together four new short films directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj.

The ensemble cast includes Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Sana Thampi, Vijay Varma, Abhishek Banerjee, Siddharth, Ali Fazal and Gurfateh Pirzada. The film is produced by RSVP and Flying Unicorn Entertainment.

Netflix announced the premiere date on September 5, 2026. The trailer was released on September 9, 2026.

Directors and Segment Pairings

Vikramaditya Motwane’s segment stars Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vijay Varma and Abhishek Banerjee. Shakun Batra’s story features Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan. Vishal Bhardwaj’s segment brings together Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari. Kiran Rao’s story pairs Gurfateh Pirzada with newcomer Sana Thampi.

Radhika Apte previously appeared in the first Lust Stories in 2018. Vijay Varma was part of Lust Stories 2 in 2023.

Cast Details

Sana Thampi makes her Bollywood debut in Kiran Rao’s segment. The Kerala-born model has worked with designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Rahul Mishra. Her portfolio includes campaigns for Vogue, AllSaints, Levi’s and Kay Beauty.

Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan play a married couple dealing with a rocky phase in Shakun Batra’s story. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth, who are a real-life couple, headline Vishal Bhardwaj’s segment.

Production and Statements

Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director of Original Films at Netflix India, said, ‘What gives Lust Stories its enduring appeal is its ability to reinvent itself. Each chapter begins with a shared human impulse and arrives at a completely different emotional truth. Here, desire opens a window into power, vulnerability, agency, compromise, and the things people struggle to say aloud.’

Ronnie Screwvala, Producer at RSVP, said, ‘With every edition, Lust Stories has challenged conventions by bringing together exceptional filmmakers to tell deeply human stories. Over the years, the anthology has continued to evolve, reflecting the changing nuances of relationships and the many shades of modern intimacy.’

Vikramaditya Motwane said, ‘What drew me to Lust Stories 3 was the chance to explore what happens when the comfort of everyday life begins to rub up against the desire for something unexpected, and this story allowed me to explore that space with warmth, humour and a little bit of unpredictability.’

Kiran Rao said, ‘What interested me about this story was how the first sparks of an attraction can quickly become something far more complicated. Desire makes us curious, and sometimes willing to take chances we normally wouldn’t.’

Shakun Batra said, ‘For me, the most interesting relationships are the ones where people don’t quite know what they’re feeling, or how to make sense of it. Affection, insecurity, allure and frustration can all exist at the same time, often in ways that surprise us.’

Vishal Bhardwaj said, ‘What fascinates me about desire is how deeply it is connected to imagination – to the stories we tell ourselves, and sometimes the stories we are afraid to tell out loud.’

Writing Team and Franchise History

The writing team includes Kiran Rao, Tanaji Dasgupta, Avinash Sampath, Sumukhi Suresh, Shakun Batra, Sameeha Sabnis, Ashwathi Namboodiri, Nitesh Bhatia, Utkarshini Vashishtha and Vishal Bhardwaj.

The first Lust Stories premiered in 2018 with directors Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee. Lust Stories 2 arrived in 2023 with segments by R Balki, Sujoy Ghosh, Amit Ravindernath Sharma and Konkona Sen Sharma. Lust Stories 3 marks the franchise’s third installment on Netflix.

Lust Stories 3 is now streaming on Netflix.