Merry Christmas Review: Katrina Kaif And Vijay Sethupathi Shine In This Sriram Raghavan Style Thriller

Merry Christmas Review: Sriram Raghavan is known for making some interesting thrillers like Johnny Gaddaar, Ek Hasina Thi, Badlapur, and Andhadhun. After Andhadhun we all were waiting to know which would be his next release. But now, after nearly six years, he makes his directorial comeback with Merry Christmas. When the film was announced with Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles everyone was quite excited about it. So, does this film live up to the excitement it created among the audience before its release? Well, partly YES!

Merry Christmas revolves around Maria (Katrina Kaif) and Albert (Vijay Sethupathi). They meet at a restaurant on Christmas Eve and a situation leads them to Maria's house. They have a couple of drinks, dance and enjoy each other's company. But, a murder takes place, and Maria and Albert get involved in it. Who is the murderer? Well, to know that you need to watch the film.

Sriram Raghavan is known for presenting his movies in a very different way. Not just the characters, but the era, location, everything play a very important part in the narration, and that's what he has done here with Merry Christmas. He takes us into an era when Mumbai was Bombay. The PCO, single screen theatre with fans, fiat taxis, and of course, an era where mobile phones were not there. For all these things the filmmaker gets full marks.

But, the problem here is the slow pace in the first half. The setting of the storyline takes time and those scenes are not very engaging to keep us hooked. However, he saved the best for the second half.

Post interval things get interesting and we are keen to know what will happen next. Also, when the big suspense is revealed, it is shocking as no one will be able to guess it. The climax of the film is also interesting, but it will remind you a bit of Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Jaane Jaan.

When it comes to performances, Vijay Sethupathi steals the show. It is surely a character that suits his personality perfectly and he has nailed it. The way he says dialogues, it will surely make you laugh out loud. Katrina Kaif is a surprise here. The actress always impresses us as Zoya in the Tiger franchise, but when it comes to doing something out of the box, we don't imagine her in such roles. However, we can see that Katrina has put in a lot of efforts and her hardwork has paid off well as she stands equally tall in front of Vijay Sethupathi.

The supporting cast is also very good. Sanjay Kapoor is wonderful in the movie and it is a treat to watch him on screen. His comic timing is just perfect. Vinay Pathak and Pratima Kannan are hilarious, and even Ashwini Kalsekar leaves a mark with her cameo. Radhika Apte is nice in her cameo.

Overall, Merry Christmas might not be interesting and funny like Andhadhun, but it's not a bad film. It has a Sriram Raghavan touch in it and of course, watch it for Katrina and Vijay's amazing performance.