Merry Christmas directed by Sriram Raghavan and starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, is one of the most anticipated films of 2024. It marks the return the ace director after his global phenomenon, Andhadhun. The trio graced Pinkvilla for an exclusive Pinkvilla Masterclass, where they talked about their upcoming film. Sriram Raghavan revealed what made him believe Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi were the perfect match for his film and why he said a no to Saif Ali Khan for the film although he was fascinated by the script and the character.
Sriram Raghavan Shared That He Was Looking For A Fresh And Unique Pairing For Merry Christmas
In an exclusive Pinkvilla Masterclass with Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi and Sriram Raghavan, the ace director was asked about the very interesting casting of Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi and how it happened. Sriram Raghavan said, “What happened is that I had met Katrina, casually after Andhadhun and we were discussing of doing something. And I had this story and as I began, I said, ‘Ok. She will be fab in this. Who’s the guy.’ Then I went through the usual set; Our whole lot. I was trying to compare. Either they (Katrina Kaif and the other actor in question) have done something..; And I wanted a very unique kind of a pairing because that’s the story requirement. One should not get a baggage from either of them that, ‘What are these two people about’, and so on.”
Sriram Raghavan Revealed Why He Didn’t Want Saif Ali Khan In Merry Christmas
The director continued, “So I had met another actor who had also liked the role. But then I had told sorry because, he had worked with her before”. Katrina Kaif insisted on Sriram Raghavan to disclose who that actor was and he answered Saif Ali Khan and elaborated on why he didn’t want Saif in the film. He said, “So I met him. He was a little upset that I told him no. But that time, I had not casted Vijay Sethupathi. I just said that, ‘I want something fresh. I don’t know what I am looking for'”.
Watch the full Pinkvilla Masterclass featuring Team Merry Christmas
Sriram Raghavan Shares The Story Of How He Convinced Vijay Sethupathi To Be A Part Of Merry Christmas
Sriram Raghavan shared the entire story of how he thought of going ahead with Vijay Sethupathi for his forthcoming film. The Andhadhun director said, “Then I was going to Melbourne for a film festival and on the way, I saw this movie called 96. I had seen Vikram Vedha and a couple of other films of Vijay. Super Deluxe, I had seen. Super Deluxe was the reason he was getting an award that day. So he also came to Melbourne and we just met there and I asked him, ‘Do you speak Hindi?’ and he said, ‘Teen saal Dubai mein kaam kar chuka hoon’ (I have worked in Dubai for 3 years) and I said, ‘Ok, great’. Then I thought that this is very interesting and this odd-ball combination will make people curious. And I myself was curious. With any regular pairing, I could sort of imagine a certain movie. Here, I did not know it myself. So the excitement was there”.
Merry Christmas Releases On 12th January, 2024
Merry Christmas indeed has a very intriguing combination of Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. To top it, Sriram Raghavan’s storytelling will just act as a cherry on the cake, for the much awaited film. Merry Christmas releases in theatres on the 12th of January, 2024. While you wait for the film, you can watch the the full Pinkvilla Masterclass featuring Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi and Sriram Raghavan on Pinkvilla’s YouTube channel.
