LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha

What seemed like a tiny blip on the radar has by now completely shaken the entire network of film industry spread across the country. Easily a milestone in Indian cinema this path breaking film is arguably better than most blockbusters released this year, or for that matter any year.

The underlying mood of the film being antiestablishmentarianism, LOVE, SEX aur DHOKHA is a raw and uncompromising take on life. Deliciously entertaining, intensely honest and fiery in its mission, LSD is a riveting ride you won't forget. Showcasing the pitiable plight of hopeless underdogs and their frantic attempts to live up against the misfortunes thrown upon them by the establishment, LSD is a running commentary of social satire at its peak. Epitomizing contemporary social scenario, LSD has an intensity that is disturbingly painful and shockingly shameful leaving you with memorable characters of outcasts, misfits, freaks and geeks. A real gem, this cinema is a challenge on the sensibilities of the Indian movie watching crowd to re-discover their sensitive sides.

Showcasing a disruptive chronological order (la strada, memento, pulp fiction) this spellbinding mockumentary, a boon for true film lovers, is not to be missed. The outstanding nonlinear narrative structure with three stories cleverly intertwined is truly refreshing to witness compared to boring social lectures of epic proportions which has become the hallmark of mainstream Indian cinema. Perhaps the most fascinating thing LSD belts out is Life as it is. It serves you a slice of current life on a platter for you to relish. Stand back in awe. This film is the sign of times.

An intense movie about frantic lives, the neoclassic LSD is a dizzying ride from silence that screams from a dead couple, to dreams and desires being annexed and annihilated by the engulfing fire of penury. LSD explores a dystopian world where love, bending knees, gets buried, amid deranged relationships between desperate people. LSD is definitely an entertaining attempt in the guise of black comedy to disembark and expose a self-righteous dysfunctional, hedonistic, dystopian society gone haywire. Go ahead and laugh yourself silly over its dark humor as you're caught glued to every passing frame of this slick horror drama. Ultimately the joke's on you (Read : society) as the superlatively captivating tongue in cheek title song embarks with the credits rolling in the end. What a show.

Delivering a sledgehammer impact with a treatment as furious as the message, Dibakar Banerjee is the man on fire scorching all those who resist him. Bold. Daring. Dangerous. Dibakar is a force to reckon. With dollops of attitude and awards predicted worldwide, this director is here to stay. Open your eyes. The master has arrived. This director has single handedly made the badshahs of this trade redundant with his genius. Uprooting the pundits of this industry as well, with simple plots and unheard actors. This is modern-day cinema at its best.

Having acquired a cult status with a cult following within days of release.. LSD is addictive. For some, it's an obsession. I say it's a belter.

Dibakar Banerjee after cult Khosla Ka Ghosla and smart Oye Lucky Lucky Oye tries something very different and he succeeds by a distance. The three stories narrated through cameras that are actually part of the story gives movie a authentic feel. The first story takes its own time to grab your attention and ends you making silent. Second story is best in narration, acting and impact. Third story is the weakest of the three but at the end when all three stories club together is seamless. The song at the end of the movie helps multiply the impact of the movie. The entire cast is new but very convincing.

It is brave, disturbing, path breaking and changing face of bollywood cinema.

When Johnny Gaddar came out three years ago I had got a feeling that Indian Cinema is beginning to come of age. It was executing scripts which were never written before. Soon scripts like Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Gulaal, Dev D, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Rock on!, Ishqiya, Taare Zameen Par, Black Friday etc had the cake of Indian Cinema nicely baked. Love, Sex Aur Dhokha is almost like an icing on that cake. You can safely say Indian Cinema has come of age and is never gonna look back to the Star system (read Khan System) and the Yash – Barjatya house of melodrama. Even if that will continue to sell more is irrespective.

Still let me point out LSD is not an original its style and premise is copied from Adam Rifkins Look.

Nevertheless, Whats the fuss ? Unfortunately I cannot reveal how LSD unrolls itself and I would suggest you go into the theater expecting nothing. Please do not read any reviews from any national dailies critics they just end up revealing just too much.

So whats the bottom line: Dibakar Banerjee undertakes a biting satire study of the growing fascination of the Indian Middle class with the camera whether it is the MMS scandals, or the umpteen sting operations. Just Like OLLO he takes a heavy dig at the media, the mentality of the Indian middle class and even our fascination with sting operations and voyeur sex.

The beauty of the film lies in the fact that it is actually shot in the first person point of view. Through your web cams, through your hand held, through your Security cams etc.

It must have been difficult to shoot like that but it must have been even more difficult to get the emotions of the characters on screen through to the audience when there are no dramatic camera angles, no mid shot and no extreme close up to shoot. Dibakar however manages the perfect mix of these shots using in most cases a still camera. You feel heavily for his motley crew of characters as they feel happy or totally disoriented in the emotionally heavy (read shocking) script.

That's where the most superlative cast I have ever seen comes on screen. At times you get the feeling Dibakar might have just let them play themselves and left his handy cam on. I don't remember any name but each of them are plain brilliant there's is just no other adjective to describe them.

There is also the most perfect concoction of Humour, Romance, Mind Numbing Violence, Biting satire, strong emotion and sex in the script. To top it Dibakar just refuses to switch off the camera even when you are cringing for the visual to stop. Once the camera's REC button is switched on you better be ready to sit through everything!!

And of course for Delhi lovers lets make no mistake, the typical Delhi characters which is trademark Dibakar with their "Behenchods" and "Oye Haan Jee Haan" are all back with the kick ass Bhangra score

Watch out for the Typical Delhi Office store clerk in the Sex episode who goes with sentences like "Waah Waah Badi Nehru Market Lag Rahi Hai"

Final Verdict : Go watch it and remember this is where Indian Cinema has finally caught up with its international counterparts.

Special Mention for the Item number " I cant hold it any longer" . Just pay attention to the lyrics and the chorus which actually goes "FO… FO… FO… FO"

I would have given it a 10/10 but for the fact that it is copied from LOOK.

India has never been as innocent as it consistently claims to be. If you are, however, one of those naïve citizens sitting behind a veil of ridiculous reasons who actually believes this, then I couldn't feel sorrier for you. In fact, if you pay closer attention to reality, you might never look at our beloved nation the same way again. One simple Google search and you will find an alarming amount of voyeuristic material of folks in brazenly compromising positions peppered all over the Internet. And no – it isn't just those light headed, dizzy for that fifteen seconds of fame teens or fellers in their early 20s who are churning out these clips either – no. A good amount of it comes from middle aged, aging, and even ancient crisis-ridden junta who are desperate for some sort of thrill in their otherwise mundane and excruciatingly cliché-laden lives that contains nothing more than mindless work.

With that preface done with – let us now focus on Dibakar Banerjee's latest offering 'Love, Sex aur Dhoka' (LSD). I am sure enough spice has already been generated thanks to the extremely obvious hint in the title itself of a dozen saucily executed romp scenes just waiting to tease your aphrodisiacal senses. And yes – this will also take a good amount of our sex-starved nation's goggle-eyed wannabes to go see the flick too. But that's when the fine line between those who went into the cinema expecting a popularized version of a badly edited B-grade mallu movie type sleaze-fest and the ones who walked in expecting a new way of storytelling becomes quite apparent. A divide, I am hoping, will have more fans in the latter category.

After watching the 1 hour 40 something minute dish called LSD, one thing is certain. Dibakar is one of those refreshingly cocky bunch of film makers who are quite unperturbed by what the mass populace has to say as long as their distinct tone of message is sent across without fear. It is in this essence of movie making, that Dibakar scores points in my book. Come what may, he seems to say, I will show you my vision the way I want you to see it. It is in this raw, unedited, low-light/night-shot array of frames that the much needed breaking of stereotypical shackles Indian cinema is bound with can be heard – loud and clear. If only, of course, you are willing to listen. If only, of course, you are willing to acknowledge.

LSD is completely shot via hand-held digital cameras, security cameras installed in public places and hidden spy cams tucked away in not-so- obvious spots. The tale unwraps with three distinct stories of Love, Sex and Dhokha – as is obvious in the title. What is not so obvious is the way Dibakar stitches the characters in each of them so craftily that the moments where their connections become apparent are truly memorable. The minimalist usage of background music layered with the brave attempts at showcasing emotions in their true and blue nature emanating from nameless faces is truly a new attempt in Bollywood. Actually it is quite new to Indian cinema too.

My take on the execution part of LSD is more to do with technique and philosophy rather than the stories themselves. Sure, the plots have their moments but they aren't anything we haven't already heard of or seen. Some of the scenes are overdone and there are even characters that let you down by actually 'acting'. So, in my humble opinion, walking into LSD to expect it to sweep you off the feet with the narrative could be a tad misleading. What I would hope you pay special attention to is how the fine line between fiction and reality gets blurred without you even realizing it. There came a point in the film when my wife turned to me and said 'This is nonsense! It just seems like they have stitched together some clips from YouTube!'

Notwithstanding her disapproving conclusion on the film, I must say, that is exactly what Dibakar was trying to achieve. Fading out that line where you forget these people are actors and that they do realize there is a camera somewhere recording their actions.

My suspicion with this theme then is the following. LSD will have two clear opinions. One - folks who loved the piece and understood the intentions with which Dibakar shot the flick and narrated the tale the way he did. And two, a majority from what I can tell, who absolutely hated the movie and found it annoyingly ambitious and contrived in its bizarre Hollywood-style-pretentiousness like approach executed in a rather disturbing and amateurish fashion. Either way, LSD will evoke a reaction in you that will stay long with you after having long left the cinema.

My recommendation then? Go watch it. Not just to love it immensely or hate it profusely, but to be part of a threshold that has never been tapped on before. To be witness to a milestone in Indian film making where the director is absent from the scenes. To be an audience to a movie where the camera is calling the shots. Just for this, LSD to me will be a unique movie watching experience. And yes – do also watch it before a dozen more remakes flood the market claiming to be better than the original.

I haven't seen any of Dibakar Banarjee's previous films - "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye" & "Khosla Ka Khosla" yet. But I have heard good about them. I saw "LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha" last night... and talking about the movie, I'd say, its truly an ingenious work. I've seen several POV (point of view) films such as .REC & Paranormal Activity. But this one.. this LSD... totally blew me away. Acting is surprisingly flawless, even though all the actors are newbies. Visuals are authentic as hell. Overall, an important Indian movie. Its disturbing too. A film that no one can ignore. Direction is... too damn GREAT!! Dibakar Banarjee is a true genius!! And I'm looking forward to watch his previous flicks.

Watch it!! You will never regret!!! 9/10