Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, like the previous parts, has its share of adventure, mysteries of history and some very entertaining action scenes. The film starts on a rocking note and the subsequent scenes also keep the interest going. The climax is unexpected. However, it’s too long at 156 minutes. A few developments are silly. The climax is exciting on paper but doesn’t translate as intended on celluloid. Harrison Ford, however, is energetic as ever. It’s a pleasure to see him give such an energetic performance at this age. Phoebe Waller-Bridge puts up a confident act. Mads Mikkelsen is fine as the villain. Antonio Banderas is wasted. Ethann Isidore (Teddy) is lovely though his character is unconvincing. Toby Jones (Basil Shaw) is fine in a small role. All in all, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is a decent one-time watch. Those who are fans of the series will surely lap it up.

My rating - *** out of 5!

WILL SATYAPREM KI KATHA EMERGE AS A SUCCESS?

Kartik Aaryan had a dream run in 2022 with the blockbuster success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. However, his family drama, Shehzada, flopped and didn’t even open well. All eyes are now on his next, Satyaprem Ki Katha, which releases tomorrow. It reunites him with his Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 co-star, Kiara Advani. It is directed by Sameer Vidwans, who has made a mark in Marathi cinema.

Satyaprem Ki Katha’s promotion began with a teaser which was well-received. The trailer also seemed fine. The songs are soulful and energetic. The film is a passionate love story and we haven’t had such a film in a long time. Such films can have widespread appeal, though they don’t have record openings. But in the long run, these films can score at the box office. Also, this film is set in Gujarat and that’s where this film can pull in audiences in hordes.

Satyaprem Ki Katha, however, faces challenges. The songs are lovely but haven’t managed to generate the intended hype. Moreover, the makers released the recreated version of the famous Pakistani song ‘Pasoori Nu’ and it got massive criticism.

Looking at the advance, Satyaprem Ki Katha is expected to open in the range of Rs. 5-7 crores. If the ticket sales increase today and tomorrow, the opening can be higher. It’s releasing on the Bakri Eid holiday and this can prove advantageous. This also means that the film will enjoy a four-day weekend.

The other major release is Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. It is the fifth part of the Indiana Jones franchise and has an 80-year-old Harrison Ford essaying the iconic character for the final time. It is expected to perform well in North America. But the hype in India is very limited. Due to the action factor and some fan following for the series, the film should hopefully open in the Rs. 2-3 crores range.

Lastly, Lust Stories 2 will release on Netflix tomorrow. It is an anthology of four shorts, directed by R Balki, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sujoy Ghosh and Amit Sharma. The star cast comprises Kajol, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vijay Varma, Mrunal Thakur, Tillotama Shome and Kumud Mishra. The film is expected to grab eyeballs due to the lust factor and also because audiences are curious to see the real-life couple Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma for the first time ever on screen.