Tag: Fire

Islamic State group claims responsibility for deadly Moscow concert hall attack

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Gunmen who opened fire at a Moscow concert hall killed more than 90 people and wounded over 100 while sparking an inferno, authorities said Saturday, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.

Attackers dressed in camouflage uniforms entered the building on Friday, opened fire and threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, according to a journalist for the RIA Novosti news agency at the scene.

Fire quickly spread through the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow‘s northern Krasnogorsk suburb, as smoke filled the building and screaming visitors rushed to emergency exits.

Alexei, a music producer, was about to settle into his seat before the start of a concert by Soviet-era rock band Piknik when he heard gunfire and “a lot of screams”.

Read moreIn pictures: Gunmen open fire in deadly attack on Moscow concert hall

“I realised right away that it was automatic gunfire and understood that most likely it’s the worst: a terrorist attack,” said Alexei, who would not give his last name.

As people ran towards emergency exits, “there was a terrible crush” with concert-goers climbing on one another’s heads to get out, he added. 

Russia‘s Investigative Committee said Saturday that 93 people had been killed, raising an earlier toll of 60, according to Russian news agencies. 

Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said 115 people were hospitalised, including five children, one of whom was in grave condition. Of the 110 adult patients, 60 were in serious condition.

The head of the FSB security service has informed Putin “about the detention of 11 people, including all four terrorists directly involved in carrying out the attack,” Russian state news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying in a statement.

Furthermore, Russian authorities said a “terrorist” investigation had been started and President Vladimir Putin was receiving “constant” updates, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

The Islamic State group said its fighters attacked “a large gathering” on Moscow’s outskirts and “retreated to their bases safely”.

Fire contained 

Telegram news channels Baza and Mash, which are close to security forces, showed video images of flames and black smoke pouring from the hall.

Other images also showed concert-goers hiding behind seats or trying to escape.

Security services quoted by Interfax said between two and five people “wearing tactical uniforms and carrying automatic weapons” opened fire on guards at the entrance and then started shooting at the audience.

A witness told AFP it was a few minutes before the start of the concert when automatic gunfire rang out.

About 100 people escaped through the theatre basement, while others were sheltering on the roof, the emergency services ministry said on its Telegram channel.

Three helicopters were involved in efforts to put out the fire, dumping water on the giant concert venue that can hold several thousand people and has hosted top international artists.

Shortly after midnight, the emergencies ministry said the fire had been contained. Andrey Vorobyov, the Moscow region governor, later said the flames had been “mostly eliminated”, and rescuers had been able to enter the auditorium.

Putin — who was informed of the attack “within the first minutes”, according to the Kremlin — wished a speedy recovery to the wounded victims, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Putin has not commented publicly on the attack.

‘Odious crime’ 

Outside the burning building, heartbroken relatives of those at the concert spoke of hopelessness as they frantically tried to contact loved ones.

Semyon, 33, whose wife was at the venue, said “nobody knows” where she is. “I’ve called five hospitals, all busy,” he said. “I’m in a complete panic, my whole body hurts.”

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it had been a “bloody terrorist attack”.


“The whole international community must condemn this odious crime,” she said on Telegram.

The US presidency called the attack “terrible” and said there was no immediate sign of any link to the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s presidency said Kyiv had “nothing to do” with the attack, while its military intelligence called the incident a Russian “provocation” and charged that Moscow special services were behind it.

The Freedom of Russia Legion, a pro-Ukrainian militia responsible for attacks on Russia’s border regions, also denied any role.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev vowed on Telegram that Ukraine’s top officials “must be found and ruthlessly destroyed as terrorists” if they were linked to the attack.

The United Nations, European Union, France, Spain, Italy and several other countries also condemned the attack.

The White House said its “thoughts are with the victims of this terrible shooting attack”, while French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed “solidarity with the victims, their loved ones and all the Russian people”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his “condolences” to his Russian counterpart, saying he “firmly supports the Russian government’s efforts to safeguard its national security and stability”, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

Orthodox church leader Patriarch Kirill was “praying for peace for the souls of the dead”, said his spokesman Vladimir Legoyda.

Previous warnings 

Moscow and other Russian cities have been the targets of previous attacks by Islamist groups but there have also been incidents without any clear political motive. 

Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia said it was monitoring reports that “extremists” were planning “to target large gatherings in Moscow”, including concerts.

The White House said Friday that the United States warned Russian authorities earlier in March about a “planned terrorist attack” possibly targeting “large gatherings” in Moscow.

Washington had “shared this information with Russian authorities”, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

In 2002, Chechen separatist fighters took 912 people hostage in a Moscow theatre, the Dubrovka, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region.

Special forces attacked the theatre to end the hostage-taking and 130 people were killed, nearly all suffocated by a gas used by security forces to knock out the gunmen.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)



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Chile wildfires: Conspiracy theorists claim blue paint can save homes

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As wildfires ravaged central Chile, a number of posts have been circulating online claiming that buildings or objects painted blue are immune to the fires. Why? Well, these accounts claim the fires were actually set by powerful lasers that don’t work on anything colored blue. These claims are baseless. 

If you only have a minute…

  • A series of wildfires have been devastating the region of Valparaiso, Chile throughout February 2024. A number of posts have been circulating online claiming that buildings and objects painted blue have miraculously resisted the flames. Some of these posts claim that Chileans are starting to paint their homes and roofs blue to protect them.
  • These claims are based on a well-worn conspiracy theory that wildfires are actually caused by “directed energy weapons”, essentially focused energy or lasers that cause damage. According to these conspiracy theories, the lasers leave blue objects intact.
  • However, these images don’t prove anything. While they do show several blue structures intact, there are also buildings of other colours that are intact, too. The video showing a man painting his roof blue shows someone who already believes the theory.
  • A number of experts have said that both a heat wave and drought played a role in the spate of wildfires in Chile. However, investigations into potential arson are also underway.

The fact check, in detail

A number of social media accounts have been tracking any time that the colour blue appears in footage and photos of the devastation caused by wildfires in Valparaiso, Chile. Why? These people believe that the wildfires, which have resulted in mass damages and the deaths of at least 130 people, spared objects painted this colour. Why again? Because they believe that these fires were set by targeted lasers called directed energy weapons, which apparently don’t work on anything coloured blue.

An English-speaking TikTok user made this claim in a video published on February 9. Pointing out a small blue home in the midst of charred ruins, he says: “The house was barely touched. Everything around it: demolished, burned to ashes.”

“But somehow it managed to stand still”, he continues, before showing a video where you see a laser burning different fabric but sparing one coloured blue. 

This user has actually picked up footage from a Spanish-language TikTok account, published two days earlier. The footage was geolocated in Vina del Mar, an area that was indeed affected by the fires.

“Is the blue house theory true?” this user asks.

This theory is mentioned in other posts, as well – like this video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by another English-speaking account. It shows another building, also painted blue, that was spared by the flames, in the midst of other charred structures. The caption reads “Chile. Blue colour again. #DEW #DirectEnergyWeapon.”


This English-speaking Twitter user, who posted his tweet on February 8, believes that the fact that certain buildings painted blue survived the wildfires is proof that “direct energy weapons” were involved. © X (formerly Twitter)

The acronym “DEW” appears in a French tweet that copies a tweet in English that has garnered more than 11 million views. Both tweets include a video of a man painting his home bright blue. 

“People in Chile are now reportedly painting their houses & roofs in particular the colour blue in order to protect themselves from DEWs,” the post in French says. The sentence in the English-language post is the same, except for its reference to DEWs. 

The French tweet also includes the video showing a laser burning through several fabrics – except the one in blue.

This post from February 12 explains why people have honed in on the blue objects and buildings spared from the wildfire’s wrath. This colour apparently protects from “directed energy weapons”, which they believe are responsible for the fires. They claim that Chileans are starting to paint their homes this colour.
This post from February 12 explains why people have honed in on the blue objects and buildings spared from the wildfire’s wrath. This colour apparently protects from “directed energy weapons”, which they believe are responsible for the fires. They claim that Chileans are starting to paint their homes this colour. © X (formerly Twitter)

There has long been a conspiracy theory that governments or other influential bodies are responsible for starting wildfires using these “directed energy weapons”. 

These weapons are real – they use highly focused energy including lasers, microwaves, particle beams and sound beams to damage their target or destroy electronic systems. But there is no proof that directed energy weapons were ever used against civilian populations or to ignite wildfires.

‘These aren’t anomalies, it just depends how the fire progresses’ 

While the theory put forward by these posts seems unfounded, then what could be the reason that these blue buildings and objects have mysteriously been spared by fire? Adherents of this conspiracy theory refer to these objects as “blue anomalies”.

This X account (formerly Twitter) points to an object that seems to be made out of blue plastic, which remains intact right next to a charred car. They say this is an example of a “blue anomaly”.
This X account (formerly Twitter) points to an object that seems to be made out of blue plastic, which remains intact right next to a charred car. They say this is an example of a “blue anomaly”. © X (formely Twitter)

Éric Brocardi, the spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters in France, there is nothing surprising about these images. 

“These aren’t anomalies, it just depends how the fire progresses,” he said after studying the images. 

“The main explanations are the way the fire has spread and the direction that the wind is blowing, which can end up sheltering certain objects. In the French region of Gironde, for example, there was a fire around Arcachon Bay in July 2022. We had what is called a crown fire: in certain places, the crowns of the trees burned, but not the branches below.”

Firefighters believe that the presence of violent winds during the fires contributed to their spread. 

Paul Sirvatka is a professor of meteorology at the College of Dupage, an American institute of higher education. He also says there is nothing unusual about this type of phenomena. 

“Because of the mechanisms of propagation, primarily embers and wind, the patterns formed by fire as it spreads can be intricate and complex,” he said. “We call this a mosaic pattern.”

On this image, taken from a training exercise in meteorology on the specialised site MetEd, we can see a fire that completely burned certain zones of the forest and spared others. Sometimes the fire left narrow areas unscathed because of a change in wind direction and the way that embers spread
On this image, taken from a training exercise in meteorology on the specialised site MetEd, we can see a fire that completely burned certain zones of the forest and spared others. Sometimes the fire left narrow areas unscathed because of a change in wind direction and the way that embers spread © MetEd/Brent Wachter

In the images shared by accounts focused on the preservation of blue objects, we can quickly see that objects of different colours have also been spared. For example, the vegetation near the blue structures is also intact, which makes it seem more likely that the entire zone escaped the flames – perhaps because of the intervention of the fire department. 

This video shared on TikTok shows a blue house intact in the midst of the ruins. However, you can see that the concrete wall and fence near the blue house also don’t have any fire damage. You can also see that the wooden telephone poles are intact, as is vegetation near the house.
This video shared on TikTok shows a blue house intact in the midst of the ruins. However, you can see that the concrete wall and fence near the blue house also don’t have any fire damage. You can also see that the wooden telephone poles are intact, as is vegetation near the house. © Observers

In this video, shared on Twitter, you can see that it is not just the blue object that was spared by the fire, even though that’s what viewers focused on. For example, a truck, a wooden door and some kind of structure made out of concrete and painted yellow were also spared.
In this video, shared on Twitter, you can see that it is not just the blue object that was spared by the fire, even though that’s what viewers focused on. For example, a truck, a wooden door and some kind of structure made out of concrete and painted yellow were also spared. © Observers

Video shared by someone who has already fallen for this theory

How about the video where you can see a man painting his roof blue? Does it show locals suddenly painting their roofs blue in order to escape the ravages of the fire, as some of these accounts have claimed?

For this Twitter user, who often shares misinformation, this video posted on February 12 shows that people living in areas affected by the fire are suddenly painting the roofs of their houses blue.
For this Twitter user, who often shares misinformation, this video posted on February 12 shows that people living in areas affected by the fire are suddenly painting the roofs of their houses blue. © X (formely Twitter)

In reality, that’s not really what the video shows. The video was first posted on February 9 by the TikTok account @eduarjoselugo. The man who posted this footage remains vague about why he is repainting his roof in the post itself. 

“Here, we are painting the roof of my house blue, blue like the sky… […] Bad things don’t touch things that are blue, because blue is connected to God,” he says. 

However, by looking at other posts on the same account, we quickly realise that this man believes the conspiracy theory that directed energy weapons are behind the fires in Chile.

In another video, he shares an audio excerpt that links the preservation of blue-coloured objects during the fires to the “first phase of project Blue Beam”. Apparently, this led to “worrying rumours about alleged laser attacks”. 

Project Blue Beam is another conspiracy theory about governments using lasers and holograms. We’ve written about this theory before in a previous article (in French).

This video doesn’t actually prove that many Chileans believe that directed energy weapons are responsible for the fires and are trying to save their homes by painting them blue. In actuality, this video shows one man who already believes the theory. 

One thing to note: there is a link between belief in the use of directed energy weapons and climate change denial. 

Conspiracy theories that have blamed directed energy weapons for various disasters are not new. Many believe they began in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.

These theories have popped up again recently each time there is a particularly destructive forest fire. Various accounts started spreading these rumours during fires that swept Canada in June 2023 or the terrible fires in Hawaii in August of the same year.

Read moreWatch out for these images fuelling a conspiracy theory about the Hawaii wildfires

In these two cases, believers in the theory about directed energy weapons used this to deny any link between the fires and climate breakdown, even though this link is well-established by the scientific community.

In the case of the fires in Chile, believers in the directed energy weapons theory also deny the role of climate breakdown. In response to a video showing devastation in Chile that highlights the importance of fighting against climate breakdown, a believer drew a link with the Hawaii fires and said that “DEWs” were responsible for both. 

“And once again, the globalist monsters behind the deliberate and entirely man-made attack on humanity and planet, claim ‘climate change,’” this user wrote. 

“And once again, the globalist monsters behind the deliberate and entirely man made attack on humanity and planet, claim ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ to further their BS ‘sustainable living’, ‘zero carbon emissions’ and of course their ever ravenous, land grabbing agendas,” this user wrote on Facebook on February 11 in response to a video that highlighted the link between the fires in Chile and global warming.
“And once again, the globalist monsters behind the deliberate and entirely man made attack on humanity and planet, claim ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ to further their BS ‘sustainable living’, ‘zero carbon emissions’ and of course their ever ravenous, land grabbing agendas,” this user wrote on Facebook on February 11 in response to a video that highlighted the link between the fires in Chile and global warming. © Facebook

However, there is evidence for the role of climate change in these fires. Scientists have indicated that a serious heatwave in Chile, a long drought and the El Nino phenomenon all played a role. There are, however, investigations underway to determine if some fires were set with criminal intent – there are apparently some indications that flammable products were used in certain locations. 



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Watch out for these images fuelling a conspiracy theory about the Hawaii wildfires

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In the wake of the fires that tore across the Hawaiian island of Maui on August 8, a number of images have been circulating on social media. The unrelated videos have been fuelling a conspiracy theory, born in the 2000s, that says wildfires are caused by laser weapons known as “directed energy weapons”.

Issued on: Modified:

5 min

If you only have a minute

  • On August 8, devastating fires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, ravaging the major city of Lahaina. 
  • Since then, several videos purporting to show the island before, during and after the fires have been posted on Facebook and elsewhere. They are all unrelated to this tragedy. 
  • What all these images have in common is that they fuel a conspiracy theory that the Maui fires were caused by “directed energy weapons”.

The fact-check, in detail

A video with more than 100,000 combined views on X (formerly Twitter) shows a huge blast of light that seems to travel some distance, resulting in smoke and fire.

It was first posted on August 13, with the caption, “Maui was attacked by directed energy weapons (dews)”. The video was reposted the next day by an account that claimed, “What happened in Maui was more than just wildfires … It appears directed energy weapons may have been used and possibly why there was such a sudden and tragic loss of life!!”

A video showing a blast of light was shared on Twitter on August 13, 2023. © Twitter

According to these users, the tragic fires that ravaged Maui were in fact set intentionally, by a laserbeam weapon. Directed energy weapons are a very real type of weapon, using a laser beam or microwaves. They can perforate, damage or disrupt an object’s electronic systems from a distance. But these systems are mainly designed for defence against drones and high-speed missiles. There is no evidence that such weapons have ever been used to cause fires.

The cause of the Maui fires, which have claimed more than 100 lives since August 8, remains unknown for the time being.

The viral video is blurry, making it hard to see exactly what is happening, or where it might have occurred.

In fact, a higher-definition version of this video exists. It was posted on YouTube in December 2018 by local television channel WWL-TV, which serves New Orleans, Louisiana. The caption on the video says it was a cellphone video taken by a viewer “down Williams Boulevard” in Kenner, Louisiana.

The blast of light is in fact an electrical explosion that traveled through power lines and caused sparks to fly. “Thousands” of Kenner residents lost power as a result, according to WWL-TV.

The explosions were caused by severe weather and high winds, according to this post from December 2018.

A blast of light appearing … in Chile

Another video shared on Facebook on August 14 shows a large beam that seems to hit a building in an urban area, clear characteristics of a supposed “directed energy weapon”.

A number of accounts shared the video, including this French-speaking user, who wrote, “What’s happening in Maui, Hawaii?” 

On August 14, this account, which usually focuses on African news, published a montage of images of the Maui disaster. In the middle is this excerpt showing a beam hitting a building.
On August 14, this account, which usually focuses on African news, published a montage of images of the Maui disaster. In the middle is this excerpt showing a beam hitting a building. © Facebook

But this video has nothing to do with the fires in Maui, as confirmed by AP in this article. The video actually comes from a TikTok post dated May 26, 2023. The person who posted it said that it was taken in the Macul district of Santiago, Chile. When it was reposted to support the “directed energy weapons” conspiracy, the video was enlarged and flipped, making it harder to see what was really going on.

A capture of the original TikTok, published on May 26.
A capture of the original TikTok, published on May 26. © TikTok

But what could have caused the beam seen in the original video? According to a report on Chilean television, the explosion was caused by a branch hitting an electrical transformer.

The beam itself is simply a refraction from the camera lens. In fact, if you play the video frame-by-frame, it’s possible to see that the explosion occurs before the beam appears, rather than the other way around.

In the video posted on TikTok, we first see the explosion (left, 0:00), then the beam appear (0:01).
In the video posted on TikTok, we first see the explosion (left, 0:00), then the beam appear (0:01). © TikTok

An industrial incident at a refinery

On X (formerly Twitter), another account claims to have proof that directed energy weapons were the cause of the Maui fires. “They’re using Direct Energy Weapon (sic) to try and advance their climate agenda”, this post, in French, explains.

The post contains a low-quality image that appears to show a beam causing an explosion. Another post with the same photo and a caption in English claims: “I can confirm this, this was #DEW (Direct Energy Weapon) They have been using these is (sic) Canada Australia and other places.”

This Twitter account, which regularly publishes conspiracy content about the fires in Hawaii, believes that this image, posted on August 11, is proof of the use of directed energy weapons.
This Twitter account, which regularly publishes conspiracy content about the fires in Hawaii, believes that this image, posted on August 11, is proof of the use of directed energy weapons. © Twitter

Once again, the image has been debunked. Snopes, an American verification media, was able to find the original context of this scene. It is in fact an incident that took place in January 2018 at a refinery in the city of Canton, in the US state of Ohio. It was reported in the local press. An Internet user also shared this photo of the event in the comments of a Facebook post by The Canton Repository.

A screenshot of the first occurrence of this image, posted on Facebook in 2018.
A screenshot of the first occurrence of this image, posted on Facebook in 2018. © Facebook

Again, no connection with the Maui fires. Similar claims like these, attributing wildfires to a government conspiracy or high-tech weapons have proliferated in recent months. Last June, we debunked a claim that called into question the cause of fires in Canada.

Read moreNo, these satellite images aren’t proof that the Canadian wildfires are a conspiracy

The idea that forest fires are caused by laser weapons, known as the “DEW theory” for “Directed Energy Weapon”, is not new.

According to Mick West, an American journalist specialising in fact-checking, it “emerged in the early 2000s, particularly after the attacks of September 11, 2001”.

At the time, certain conspiracy theories claimed – wrongly – that the collapse of the Twin Towers had been caused by laser weapons. The same theory was later applied to forest fires.



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Fire, Margarita With a Straw to Lust Stories 2: Diversifying The Idea of ‘Lust’

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(Note: The piece contains some spoilers of Lust Stories 2)

When it comes to exploring female desires on screen, Hindi cinema has historically struggled with it. Sex on screen, which we anyway barely saw for years, was almost always viewed through the male gaze. Female orgasms and sexuality were mostly used as punchlines by men or were viewed as something to be scared of. However, the tides are turning, albeit at a snail’s pace. With Fire, that released in 1996, Deepa Mehta paved a way for generations to come. And Konkona Sen Sharma’s latest short story in the anthology Lust Stories 2 cements the fact that desires, sexuality need to be spoken about at length instead of being sealed in a closet.

Let’s take a look at some pathbreaking works which have completely shifted the gaze on women:

Fire – Female Desires At Odds With Toxic Masculinity  

Nandita Das (left) and Shabana Azmi in Deepa Mehta’s Fire.

Deepa Mehta’s Fire started multiple conversations around desire. It wasn’t just pathbreaking in its representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, it also exposed the ways in which women were bartered and crushed by patriarchy. Fire was revolutionary in the way it explored female love and desire at odds with the regressive Indian masculinity. The movie focused on the attraction between two sisters-in-law Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), who are married to two brothers, Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) and Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi). 

Deepa Mehta redefines the economy of female desire against the cultural backdrop of a middle-class Hindu joint family by showing how contemporary Indian women are negotiating the dilemma between duty and desire.

Both Sita and Radha move away from compulsions of duty, traditional and backdated expectations and compulsory heterosexuality. They exercise agency and choose; they don’t fall for each other because they are stuck in bad marriages, they choose one another because they are in love.   

Astitva – Challenging The Roles of Mothers & Wives

A still from Astitva.

Mahesh Manjrekar’s 2002 film Astitva also emerged as a pioneer featuring complex female characters and prioritising their needs. Tabu plays Aditi, a homemaker who is sexually dissatisfied in her marriage. She, therefore, establishes a purely physical relationship with a man outside of her ‘marital responsibilities.’ At a time when sexual desires of middle-aged women weren’t even considered necessary to be depicted on screen, Astitva started the much-needed conversation and challenged the so-called boxes that mothers and wives were shoved into.  

Margarita With a Straw – Disability & Desires Not a Deviant Phenomenon

A still from Margarita With a Straw.

Shonali Bose’s 2014 movie, starring Kalki Koechlin in the lead role, portrays the unabashed sexuality of a woman with a disability. Laila, a young girl with cerebral palsy, is seen discovering sexual desires and arousal. Through the course of the movie, we see Laila being confused about her sexuality, in that she gets attracted to men but eventually falls in love with a blind girl, Khanum. Very sensitively, Shonali addresses the intersections of disability and sexuality, without once treating it as a deviant phenomenon.

Laila’s character became a breakthrough in Hindi cinema that has always desexualized people with disabilities.

Laila is given free rein to live her dreams and realise her desires, be it going to the US to study, pleasuring herself while watching porn or even taking the initiative to kiss her disabled male friend while making it clear that she doesn’t want to take it further.  

Lipstick Under My Burkha & KJo’s Short in ‘Lust Stories’ – Busting the Myth

Ratna Pathak Shah and Kiara Advani in Lipstick Under My Burkha and Lust Stories.

Alankrita Srivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha follows the story of four small-town women, who lead ‘secret’ lives to bury their everyday reality. There is Usha Parmar (Ratna Pathak Shah), who has gotten so used to being addressed as ‘Buaji’ that she has forgotten her own name and identity. However, within the four walls of her room, Usha reads pulp fiction and fantasises about her young swimming coach. Lipstick busts myths and explores taboo reality, such as female masturbation. Usha is a real, identifiable woman, who is forced to escape into a fantasy world where her desires are not looked down upon.

Karan Johar’s short story in Lust Stories also puts the spotlight on the woman. Megha (Kiara Advani) is a young schoolteacher and as a new bride she yearns for sexual fulfilment. However, her husband (Vicky Kaushal) is blissfully ignorant about female pleasure – his only focus is on his ‘climax.’ Thus, when Megha chances upon the vibrator there’s no looking back.

Lust Stories 2, ‘The Mirror’ – No Need For ‘Moralizing’ Sexual Desires

Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash in Lust Stories 2.

Konkona Sen Sharma’s short film Lust Stories 2 is a masterclass when it comes to exploring voyeurism, consent, class divide and staid notions of desire. What happens when a financially independent woman (played by Tillotama Shome), living by herself, comes home one day only to stumble upon her house help (played by Amruta Subhash) having raging sex with her husband ON HER BED? Just when you thought you had it figured out, Konkona startles you. Instead of confronting her, Isheeta starts deriving pleasure by watching Seema have sex, and Seema too gets excited after she finds out what’s cooking.

It’s very interesting to note how Konkona uses two different economic backgrounds to comment on how society has created a divide on even how one should pleasure themselves.

In the environment Isheeta has grown up in, masturbation is just another normal activity. However, in Seema’s world, that’s unthinkable.

When both women find out what the other has been doing, they are hurled into the real world, with circumscribed limits. The desire they felt outside the ‘respectable’ world, they can’t own it, and that’s when slurs are hurled. ‘The Mirror’ isn’t interested in moralizing lust – there’s no excitement in sanitizing the carnal desires.

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