Merry Christmas movie review and release Updates: Sriram Raghavan on casting Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi

Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif grab eyeballs at Merry Christmas screening

Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal were spotted at a special screening of Katrina's upcoming film, 'Merry Christmas,' in Mumbai. The couple radiated joy as they posed for the paparazzi at the event. A heartwarming moment captured on camera shows Vicky giving a peck on Katrina's cheek, revealing their affectionate bond. The video, shared by paparazzi and fan pages, swiftly gained attention, infusing a romantic touch to the festive screening event.

Sriram Raghavan on casting Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi

When asked if Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi were the original choices for 'Merry Christmas', Sriram Raghavan said, "I wanted the story to have a dream-like quality. In my mind, I tried various conventional pairings, but some X factor seemed to be missing. Most of the stars had already worked with each other. Since the story is about two strangers meeting on Christmas eve, I wanted an out of the box pairing. Katrina is a glamorous star and Vijay is known for his rooted characters. The opposites attracted me."

Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi have come together for their first collaboration in Sriram Raghavan's upcoming thriller, "Merry Christmas,". The film's creators organized a special screening on Wednesday night , drawing the attendance of various Bollywood celebrities such as Vicky Kaushal, Aditya Roy Kapur, Ananya Panday, Khushi Kapoor, and more. Neha Dhupia also graced the event and, after viewing the film, took to social media to share exclusive pictures with Katrina and Vijay. In addition, Neha are shared her review of the film.

Katrina on learning Tamil

Katrina shared that she was very, very stressed and consumed with trying to learn her Tamil lines. She wanted to rehearse in a way that they sound fresh and spontaneous [while shooting]. And that was, for her, a very, very tough task. She finds Tamil and Malayalam really, really difficult. It’s hard to distinguish between the consonants and vowels.

Sriram Raghavan on the idea behind Merry Christmas

In 2004, when Ram Gopal Varma watched the final cut of Ek Hasina Thi, he told me, 'you have made a good film. Now don’t try to repeat it. You should do something completely different.' That stuck with me... Andhadhun was a big success with the audiences and critics. I was very clear that I do not want to follow that template for success. I had the story of Merry Christmas for a few years, and felt it was a good time to do it. Since the earlier film was a success, I felt encouraged to take some fresh risks

Netizens go gaga

Vijay Sethupati is afraid of Katrina Kaif!

Katrina Kaif shared in a recent interview that her co-star Vijay Sethupathi didn’t speak to her much during the shoot of their latest film Merry Christmas, directed by Sriram Raghavan. She mentioned her conversation with Varun Dhawan, who worked with Sriram in Badlapur, and suggested that perhaps the director had instructed Vijay not to engage in much conversation with her.But Vijay revealed his reasons for not talking much to the actress. Vijay revealed that he didn’t speak to Katrina on the sets because he was afraid of her. He added that he’s new to the Hindi industry, while Katrina’s very well experienced and is a big star. Katrina just couldn’t believe her ears when Vijay said this.

Bilingual film

Opening up about his bi-lingual film, Sriram Raghavan said, "It's because Vijay is in the movie, we thought of making a Tamil version also. It has got new actors also. Some actors are different. Vijay and Katrina are the same in both versions. There is someone played by Vinay Pathak in Hindi and Radhika Sarathkumar in Tamil."

'Jawan' director Atlee cannot stop gushing about 'Merry Christmas'

Vicky Kaushal reviews 'Merry Christmas', calls it Katrina Kaif's best work: 'So freaking proud of you love'

Vicky Kaushal is a proud husband as he lauds Katrina Kaif's performance after watching 'Merry Christmas'. He wrote, "#MerryChristmas everyone! So freaking proud of you love for how beautifully you have surrendered yourself to Sriram Sir’s masterful story telling and to the complexities of ‘Maria’… her rawness, her mystery, her magic… all done with such honesty and nuance! And that dance… uff! This one’s truly your best work till date. ❤️❤️❤️"He further praised Sethupathi and said, "#VijaySethupati Sir… don’t know how you bring that childlike innocence in your characters but it’s pure joy to watch you bring Albert alive #SriramRaghavan @actorvijaysethupathi @katrinakaif @sanjaykapoor2500 @pathakvinay @radhikaofficial @rameshtaurani … how you guys are going to make people jingle all the way when they watch the Film… especially that end! ???????????? Go enjoy this thrilling fun ride in theatres near you! #MerryChristmas IN CINEMAS NOW!!! ????????????"

Telugu film 'Guntur Kaaram' surpasses 'Merry Christmas' to claim the top spot on the list of movies generating the 'highest interest' for releases this week.

Vijay Sethupathi, despite his strong standing in the South industry, is one of the most down to earth personalities in tinsel town. As he gears up for his Hindi movie release Merry Christmas tomorrow, a special screening of the same was organized last night, that saw the who's who of tinsel town attending. There, lead stars Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif posed for the paps and the internet could not get over what a gentleman Vijay was, not getting too close to Katrina and maintaining a distance while posing.

Merry Christmas box office Day 1 early predictions: Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer to have a Rs 2 crore start; set to be actress' LOWEST opening in 10 years

Early box office predictions suggest that 'Merry Christmas' may be off to a slow start and rake in an estimated Rs 2 crores in net collections across India. The opening day numbers are expected to be the total sum raked in from all languages.

Merry Christmas first reviews: Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer opens to positive response

Several celebrities and film critics have watched the movie at a special screening and they have expressed their views, talking about the hits and misses of the film.

Nayanthara's husband Vignesh Shivan shares FIRST review of 'Merry Christmas'

Ahead of its release, Nayanthara's husband and filmmaker Vignesh Shivan has shared the first review of the movie. Taking to his Instagram Stories, Vignesh shared a long note, showering praises on the film and the actors.He wrote, 'Absolutely awestruck by the outstanding performances from @actorvijaysethupathi & @katrinakaif in this superbly written thrilling screenplay from the genius @sriram.raghavanofficial takes us back to Alfred Hitchcock times @ipritamofficial’s music is another major pillar, the last 30 mins is just tooo good! Enjoy it in theatres from Jan12th! Totally proud of you Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi! You just held it all together with effortless ease'.

Vijay Sethupathi hails Sriram Raghavan's mastery in 'Merry Christmas’: The experience was rewarding

Vijay Sethupathi emphasises the film's distinct plot, highlighting it as a new and unique venture in his repertoire. Refusing to delve into film details without audiences experiencing them, Vijay discussed his collaboration with Katrina Kaif and Sriram Raghavan. He commended the director for facilitating a comfortable and enriching work environment for actors, describing the experience as rewarding. Praising Kaif's professionalism and dedication, Sethupathi anticipated the audience's response to the film's distinctive storyline.

The Tamil version of "Merry Christmas" is not merely a dubbed adaptation; rather, the filmmakers re-shot the entire movie after completing the Hindi version. Sriram shared the process and said that they filmed a scene, and after ten days, they had to reshoot the same scene using the same camera and lighting, so it wasn't very different.But every time they reshot the scene, he felt that he can add something or make changes to enhance it.

Neha Dhupia reviews Merry Christmas; calls Katrina Kaif 'brilliant,' hails Vijay Sethupathi

Sharing a picture, Neha mentioned that Merry Christmas is an outstanding film and also praised Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupati and Sriram Raghavan for their work. She wrote, “Just finished watching #merrychristmas it's tough to put down in words or even comprehend the level and excellence of thrill... anything I say will be a spoiler... except ofcourse @katrinakaif u are beautiful as you are brilliant and oh my god @actorvijaysethupathi I'm blown away! @sriram.raghavanofficial if you continue to make movies like these it ll be Christmas for the audience every Friday! Beyond brilliant! ... and yes the pillars, the entire cast and storyline so so so powerful! @sanjaykapoor2500 @pathakvinay.” In a separate picture with Katrina, Neha wrote, “@katrinakaif you are beautiful as you are brilliant! Loved you and loved #merrychristmas,” and for Vijay she wrote, “ @actorvijaysethupathi what a thrilling and pitch perfect performance, just blown away @merrychristmas. ”

Here's why Vijay Sethupathi says 'NO' to negative or cameo roles

Vijay Sethupathi was questioned about the reception of his villain and supporting roles and the actor's formula for choosing them. Sethupathi said that he has been receiving more offers to do villain and supporting roles. Despite refusing the offer on supporting and villain roles, some have been asking the actor to hear the story to make a final call, which caused the busy actor to waste more time.

Aditya Roy Kapur and Ananya Panday were seen exiting the screening of 'Merry Christmas' together and fans thought he was being quite protective about his rumoured lady love.

Did you Know Katrina Kaif struggled while filming Tamil version of 'Merry Christmas'; suggested to cast someone else

Sriram shared that the film's set remained unused for months due to scheduling conflicts, inflating the budget. Faced with the dilemma, Sriram proposed shooting a Tamil version to mitigate costs. Katrina, initially hesitant, eventually agreed despite the 'torturous' process, due to her inability to understand Tamil. She even suggested casting another actress for the Tamil version, but Sriram insisted she manage both roles.

During a press conference for the upcoming film Merry Christmas, Sriram Raghavan, Katrina Kaif, and Vijay Sethupathi spoke about their experiences with the movie in Delhi recently. Vijay said,"When I was working with Sriram sir, he gave a lot of space to his actors. Once he believed that the actor had understood the scene, then he went for the take. There was no hurry with Sriram sir. We had enough time to understand and perform, and as an actor, it gave a lot of confidence. That's what I understood."

Vijay Sethupathi does not want to speak much about his films as he overexposes

In a recent promotional interview, actor Vijay Sethupathi said that he does not like being overexposed and he is also afraid of the exposure. The actor said that he often confides to meditate before interviews so he does not say anything negative. The actor speaking to Film Companion shared his concerns of oversharing leading to overexposure. The actor said that if he speaks about the upcoming thriller 'Merry Christmas', the information he shares might be too much public exposure and the audience might feel disconnected to his onscreen role. He added that he does not want to talk much about his films or himself.

Vijay Sethupathi reveals a surprising love story ahead of the 'Merry Christmas' release

During an interaction, Vijay revealed an intriguing facet of his personal life. In response to a query about his bold choices, Vijay candidly shared a surprising anecdote about his love life. Reflecting on his decisive nature, he reminisced about his time in Dubai, where he swiftly fell in love with his now-wife, Jessy Sethupathi. The actor revealed proposing to her within a week of chatting on Yahoo Chat and tying the knot five months after returning to India, emphasising the spontaneous nature of his life-changing decisions.

Did you know Vijay Sethupathi was not the first choice for 'Merry Christmas'?

Bollywood's ace filmmaker Sriram Raghavan's 'Merry Christmas' starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi has created a buzz among the audience. But did you know the filmmaker Sriram had narrated the idea of the film to Varun Dhawan before Vijay Sethupathi? Yes! You read it right! Sriram Raghavan revealed that several years ago, he narrated the basic idea of the film to Varun Dhawan, with whom he worked on 'Badlapur'.