Dibakar Banerjee returns to the director’s chair with ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’ (LSD 2), descending deeper into the murky depths of the digital realm, unearthing a world brimming with disenchantment and deceit. A decade after revolutionizing Indian digital cinematography with the original ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha,’ Banerjee’s sequel, a veritable anthological triptych titled ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and ‘Download’, is both a dissection and a denouncement of the Internet’s grip on society.
The film unravels three disparate stories, each a grim reflection of the characters’ virtual and visceral experiences. In the segment ‘Like’, we encounter Noor, portrayed by Paritosh Tiwari, a transwoman embroiled in a reality show resembling the voyeuristic Bigg Boss. The tumult of the show reaches new heights when Noor’s estranged mother, depicted by Swaroopa Ghosh, steps into the televised insanity, skewing the familial dynamics for audiences’ amusement. The ‘Share’ chapter introduces us to Kullu, a transgender janitor played by Bonita Rajpurohit, grappling with the aftermath of a sexual assault at a metro station in Delhi. The trio of tales culminates with ‘Download’, where we follow Subham, enacted by Abhinav Singh, an 18-year-old gamer perched on the threshold of Internet stardom.
Banerjee, together with collaborators Pratik Vats and Shubham, paint a canvas where the Internet serves as a quagmire of falsity and rapid-fire satiation, a medium through which identities are bartered and believers are shackled to faceless manipulators. Every facet of the digital domain receives its share of Banerjee’s acidic critique, from the superficial activism of corporations to the precarious gig economy that has seeped into middle India, forging a populace complicit in its own subjugation.
The kaleidoscope of themes, ranging from transgender rights to cyberbullying and the overreaching tentacles of technology, renders the film a bewildering amalgam of intentions and interpretations. Although the potential for piercing revelations akin to Rajkummar Rao’s searing volte-face in the original LSD are present, the sequel fails to home in on a specific target amid the labyrinth of possible storylines.
Despite veering away from the foundational conceit of found footage cinema — that of snatched voyeurism — LSD 2’s visual palette boasts its idiosyncrasies. Production designer Tiya Tejpal infuses the set pieces with an undercurrent of surrealism. In a nod to a real-life crime in Gurugram, we’re ushered into an elite school bedecked with caricatures of the eminent, such as Elon Musk and Anand Mahindra. Further along, the film delves into a dystopian montage within the metaverse, with the dingy hues of AI-generated art serving as a metaphor for an increasingly homogeneous society.
The cast leaves a lasting impression, especially Abhinav Singh as the streaming sensation GamePappi. The casting choices, credited to Anmol Ahuja, are laced with irony, enlisting celebrities like Anu Malik, Tusshar Kapoor, and Sophie Choudry to play reality show judges, furthering the critique of the entertainment industry’s complicity.
Banerjee, who facetiously dubbed himself a mix of a “hectoring professor and biblical prophet” on a recent podcast, imbues the film with his distinct brand of alarmist commentary which feels deeply personal. Previously hampered by the cancellation of his film ‘Tees’ by Netflix, among other professional setbacks encountered by his contemporaries in an increasingly intolerant political environment, Banerjee appears to channel his frustration into LSD 2, mercilessly lampooning corporate hegemony, the seductive whispers of a surveillance state, and the docile acquiescence to technology.
Taking on a role beyond that of a satirical commentator, Banerjee’s sequel reads like a cautionary tome for a society ensnared in the virtual webs weaved by the Internet. Through LSD 2, he offers a grim prophecy for an age where the blurring lines between reality and virtual existence have begotten an era of estrangement, insincerity, and loss of control, challenging viewers to reassess the ramifications of our ever-connected lives.
