Merry Christmas (2024)

Merry Christmas is satisfying Sriram Raghavan venture with a deliciously crafted romance in form of sumptuous mystery

My Rating : 80/100

Sriram Raghavan unique style of presenting dark humour and crime is separate genre in itself. After films like Andhadhun, Badlapur made for matured audience , he delivers a Christmas project which is thoroughly enticing and entertaining. Merry Christmas is satisfying one night story of 2 strangers attracted towards each other which turns out to be a bloody thriller post interval. The film falls in a niche category of slow burn thrillers which demands attention and not for people looking for engagement in every frame. The first half is purely a setup in progress for a wild ride coming in 2nd half. Powered by brilliant Vijay Sethupathy, a formidable Katrina and a tightly edited runtime , Sriram Raghavan delivers a film which has a solid heart and fitting climax which makes worth all the wait.The music is magical by Pritam especially the songs Nazar Teri Toofan by Papon and Raat Akeli Thi by Arijit. Beautifully integrated into the screenplay.

I was apprehensive about pairing of Vijay and Katrina but how beautifully and organically the romance is presented in the first half is what makes Raghavan Sir a celebrated director. Vijay Sethupathy with his distinct sarcastic humour and sharp expressions wins me over again. While Katrina has shown great command over her hindi dialogues and has also given a performance she would later be proud of. Vinay Pathak and Pratima Kannan in an extended cameo make the film interestingly exciting towards the climax. Baby Pari Sharmaos adorable.

Overall, there are few things to keep in mind before you watch Merry Christmas. Don't compare with Andhadhun, its an entirely different story. Don't completely tag it as a thriller, its a romantic comedy which turns into dark thriller. The film needs more mature audience to watch it. It wont work for everyone but I really appreciate the neo noirism integrations by Raghavan Sir with multiple twists and wow monents in 2nd half.

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