Merry Christmas Movie Review: Sriram Raghavan Naied It Again Brilliant Performances by Katrina and Vijay
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Katrina Kaif, Radhika Apte, Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Tinnnu Anand, Ranjan Raj, Aditi Govitrikar
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
Merry Christmas is a love story full of thrills, murder mystery, suspense drama, and twists. Andhadhun Five years after Sriram Raghavan made Merry Christmas, another example of an excellent film has been presented. The story of this film may progress at a slow pace, but it keeps you engaged till the end. This is the kind of film that will not let you get up from the theater seat and will force you to think in the end. Let us know what is special in this film. ‘The night will be as beautiful as the morning will be as colorful’, after reading this line on the poster of a film and seeing the picture of a beautiful woman like Katrina Kaif on the poster, even if it is written by director Sriram Raghavan, then the audience will have no idea about the film. Even if I want to cook, I cannot cook. This is Shri Ram’s cinema. His film journey, which started as an assistant to director Mukul Anand in the film ‘Aitbar’, has now reached a stage where the audience waits with bated breath for his films.
It has been five years since Sriram’s last film Andhadhun was released. Viacom18, the company that made it, also earned money indiscriminately from it. And now it is the turn of Tips Music Company. For Ramesh Taurani, this film is the new branding of his company. Tips’ previous films have been ‘Race 3’, Bhoot Police, and ‘Gaslight’, and everyone knows their condition, the latest situation is that even before Merry Christmas reaches the theatres, Tips’ shares have increased by more than five percent. A surge of ₹ was recorded the previous day. Man, what a director this is. His name is Shriram Raghavan. If you check his filmography, you will feel that this man is making crazy films. The way he wants to make it. A cinema of its kind. Taking full time. Testing the patience of the audience. His previous film was Andhadhun. The name of the new film is Merry Christmas. But it is released on Pongal. Because can’t do anything with the market.
Merry Christmas Movie Review: The Story Plot
The film Merry Christmas is based on the story of the French novel La Monte Charge written by Frederick Da. On Christmas night, Albert goes out to explore the city. A woman has also gone out for a walk with her small daughter. Both meet. Reach the woman’s house. The woman puts the child to sleep and then goes out for a walk with her. Both reach back home. The dead body of the woman’s husband is lying on the sofa. Albert described himself as a Dubai Return Architect. Now he reveals his real identity and leaves from there. After some time, the same woman is again seen roaming on the road with her daughter. Albert follows him. This time the woman comes home with a catering businessman she met at church. Puts the baby to sleep. Then she goes out with him. Then she returns home and finds her husband’s dead body lying on the sofa in front. This new person does not leave from there but stays till the police arrive to help the woman.
This is what the woman wants too. But this time also Albert disappears from the scene before the arrival of the police because his past is standing in front of him. Amid this thief-police game, he finds out what the matter is…? The film begins by stating that the story is not of now. We push ourselves a little deeper into the chair. The story is from the time when present-day Mumbai was called Bombay. This is confirmed by the one-rupee coin with the three lions of the Ashoka Pillar being inserted in the PCO, the visuals of the weight measuring machines equipped with disco lights, and the picture of the film hero on the back of the train tickets (read tickets). With a motivating sentence printed along with it. This is confirmed when, after a tight close-up of the city’s most recognizable building, the frame loosens up and goes into ‘Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli’ mode, widening wide to reveal a hapless hero walking on the road, Despite being a hero, he is still looking for a way.
The film revolves around two characters. Both cannot speak Hindi properly. Its effect is also visible in the music of the film, which will be discussed later. Back to the two main characters – Albert (Vijay Sethupathi) and Maria (Katrina Kaif). Both Christians. Both of them meet in a restaurant on Christmas night and end up together. They meet so much that they are found at each other’s houses. And then they go their separate ways. Their paths diverge, then collide, and the story unfolds. Meanwhile, there is a bloodbath. There is a police station. The story opens up so much that rugby can be played on that field. In the end, everything gets confined to one police station and while coming out of the narrow gate of the theatre, you and I are unable to understand whether to laugh or cry for a certain character.
Merry Christmas Movie Review and Analysis
Merry Christmas in this film, two actors named Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi have worked. Katrina has become Maria. Vijay has played the role of Albert. When you are watching this movie in theatres, you feel that I wish Katrina knew how to speak Hindi well. Because Katrina said ‘Zero’ In this film, you get to see the best performance of all the work you have done in your career before. If only he could have understood his dialogues, it would have been wonderful. Almost the same thing happens with Vijay Sethupathi also. If you have searched for ‘animal’ If you have seen it, then you would know what Rashmika Mandanna said to Ranbir Kapoor in anger. Because to date we have not got clarity in that matter. Why? accent. What Vijay Sethupathi is saying is not heard or understood on many occasions even in this film. But that guy knows so much about acting that you don’t need to listen to everything. Body language and facial expressions do that work for them. So Merry Christmas Does not face any problem on that front.
The whole issue boils down to the fact that you made me spend two hours so that I could prepare myself for the last half hour. Because the entire film happens in the last half hour. And it happens that you don’t regret the last two hours. Sriram Raghavan‘s previous film was Andhadhun. Its tagline was- Don’t miss the beginning. Here it is exactly the opposite. Don’t miss the ending. Because the dust that has accumulated throughout the picture bursts there. What else explodes? All your complaints, boredom, and disappointment, get compensated. You can tie it into whodunnit or mystery, thriller, or any genre. If you want to tie, then. Otherwise, this is cinema. It should be enjoyed to the fullest. With great enthusiasm. There may be complaints about the pace of the film.
But this picture is like life. You don’t know what you are going to see in the next moment. You are sitting prepared, but the syllabus of this exam is different. Dialogues as if you are sitting in a roast show. I tried to make some notes while watching the film. So that you can remember those things even after a few hours of watching the movie. But then I thought that if the filmmaker did not work so hard that you remember his cinema, then why should we work so hard? We went to watch a movie for entertainment. Even after being entertained, if some aspects of that film remain with you, then it will be called a memorable experience or cinema. Merry Christmas Gave me that experience. For example, there is a scene from the film. In this, Albert is told by his girlfriend Rosie that they can’t come together. On this Albert says- ‘Why didn’t you think of this before?’ On this Rosie tells him – ‘You are still not thinking about this’.
You feel entertained during such scenes and are also forced to think. This is generally rarely seen in Hindi cinema. Such fine writing. You can consider it as a one-liner and move ahead. But that is black comedy. Which makes you feel uncomfortable while laughing. I had not felt this thing for a long time. Which is called aware cinema. Sriram Raghavan uses that kind of music in his films, which he has heard a lot. Or relate to him a lot. With its help, they try to create a feeling of nostalgia. But Merry Christmas The music is part of the narrative. The biggest secret of the film is buried in the crescendo of the song, i.e. the part where the loudest sound comes. When he chooses the land of Bombay or Pune for his story, he shows it as he has seen that city himself. He does not have to use the shot of pigeons flying in front of the Gateway of India to establish the location of Bombay. If you are a future filmmaker, his films should be a part of your course.
In the twenty-first decade, Merry Christmas is the sixth film made by Sriram Raghavan, and it can be said without any doubt that this man is giving us a new spice every time. This director, who started with ‘Ek Haseena Thi’, has reached Merry Christmas by making ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. Meanwhile, he also made Andhadhun. Where else can one find a greater example of variety than this? But all of them have Raghavan’s stamp on them. Their story is like a cricket match – the introduction of strong, run-hungry players in the early powerplay. Then in the middle overs, the middle order should take the story forward and create a thought in the minds of the audience that ‘what will happen next?’ After this, bring power hitters in the last overs and make the story different. The same has happened in this film also.
There are two big people in the film on whom we focus – Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. The way these two people speak their dialogues, it can be said that for the first time after Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’, a ‘Hindi centric’ film has been made in which the main characters do not know Hindi. But despite this, as a viewer, you will not feel any problem. Because the story has more importance than the delivery in the film. After Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif, the biggest ‘artist’ in the film Merry Christmas is its background music. This film stands on the strength of its background music, otherwise there is nothing very surprising in it. The background music of the film holds your finger and takes you to such a place where you find yourself sighing. Believe me, this is not an easy task. And in fact, all the numbers have been collected here. Near the climax, it becomes clear that amidst the squeals of violins and the rhythmic beat of drums, a major event had taken place, which had a complete bearing on the flavor and conclusion of the film. However, if you watch Shriram Raghavan’s films, you will realize that this was not a very unique occasion.
The background music of the film Merry Christmas reminds us of the background scores of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, especially ‘North by Northwest’. There are a lot of similarities between these two directors in terms of telling stories. Who is influenced by whom can be found out by looking at the date of birth? There are some things in the film which have attracted attention. Hindi cinema of the 80s or early 90s is a big thing in this. There are frequent such moments in films when you, as a filmmaker, are time-traveling. All this is done through camera and sound. The film posters of that time, the songs playing in the background, etc., everything goes on while establishing it. This is also a well-known technique of the director. He made Dharmendra’s dead wife sing ‘Mora Gora Ang Lai Le’ in his film ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. David Dhawan’s brother Anil Dhawan was brought up in Andhadhun.
The song ‘Jab Andhera Hota Hai Aadhi Raat Ke Baad’ from the 1973 film ‘Raja Rani’ has been featured in Merry Christmas. This song, composed 50 years ago, does not seem misfit at all. The filmmaker has opened a new dimension for this generation. Along with this, Rajesh Khanna is found printed on the bus ticket and it is written – It is the darkest before the dawn. I also say that the name of Amitabh’s film was ‘Don’. Well, in this film many sounds have been used to move from one sequence to another, be it of a mixer or a wood-cutting machine. These things were seen extensively in ‘Parinda’ released in 1989. While watching this film, one more person came to my mind – Priyadarshan. The film director who gave films like ‘Chup Chup Ke’, ‘Hera-Pheri’, ‘Hungama’, ‘Hulchal’, and ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’ to the Hindi audience. This director is known for his comedy. One thing will be found in his work on every occasion – everything starts happening in the last part of the film. In the climax of Priyadarshan’s film, he does not see what is logical and what is not. He prepares the entire story for this occasion, where the audience can be taken to the most non-sense mode. Whereas Shriram Raghavan is exactly the opposite.
Right from the beginning, Shriram starts spreading his story in every direction, keeping the viewer in awe. After this, he adds strings one after another in the last part and tells his audience that in reality, the whole thing was happening somewhere outside his imagination. You will get all these tricks when you come to see it. And for all this, you will have to work hard. The film takes time to gain ground. If you have this time, then this film is for you. If you are among those who feel that the whistling sounds of the aging heroes on the screen indicate that cinema has returned, then Merry Christmas to you. The songs along with the background music of Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif starrer film Merry Christmas are also amazing, which shows the blossoming love of both the stars. There is a song in it ‘Raat Akeli’, which you are going to like a lot. This is a very romantic song. At the same time, such suspense will be created in the film when a song from the 70s is played. Its lyrics are ‘Jab Andhera Hota Hai…’ It was filmed in the film ‘Raja Rani’ by Rajesh Khanna. But some glimpses of it have also been shown in Merry Christmas.
People will come to watch the film Merry Christmas because of Vijay Sethupathi, but when they leave after watching the film, they will remember Katrina Kaif. Sriram Raghavan has given Katrina Kaif her best performance to date. This character of Maria, who marries her boyfriend’s friend, stems from the helplessness of a mother. The audience joins in with her after seeing all the things she goes through in an attempt to save her daughter from her husband. There is no hatred for the murderer here. And this is what brings Vijay Sethupathi’s character Albert from Rosie to Maria. The harmony between the two is the undercurrent of the film and in the climax of the film, when Albert sits on the bench in the police station in surrender after giving the ring to Maria, all the viewers will feel the intensity of that scene. Those who have understood the real meaning of love in life, Tat Sukhe, Sukhe Tvam! This is the victory of Vijay Sethupathi’s acting.
It can be said that the film Merry Christmas is a suspense thriller of two hours and 14 minutes, but Albert’s dialogues regarding a lifeless teddy bear also find opportunities to laugh in the film. The one-liners of the film are very well written. The entire film is the story of one night, so it keeps the audience engaged till the end. In this, both its script and editing are victorious. The artistic direction, tight screenplay, simple yet meaningful dialogues, brilliant performances by Katrina and Vijay, along the vocal chops of Arijit and Papon make the film a cinematic delight. The supporting cast of the film includes Pari as a child, Vinay Pathak and Pratima Kannan as police officers, Sanjay Kapoor as a catering businessman, and Ashwini Kalsekar as his wife who has done a great job. And yes, Radhika Apte is also there. Her character Rosie is of a very short duration, but she is the real catalyst of the film!
Merry Christmas Movie Review: The Last Words
Anyway, now let’s look at the movie Merry Christmas. Now there will be a question in everyone’s mind whether it should be seen or not. So on this, we would like to say that if you are a lover of suspense drama films then you can watch it. This is a value-for-money film. Some scenes in the film remind us of old Bollywood films. The most special thing is that in this you are going to feel Bombay and not Mumbai. At the same time, if you are an action lover and you have Vijay Sethupathi’s action style in your eyes and are going with the same expectations, then it will become boring for you.
Merry Christmas Movie Review: Sriram Raghavan Naied It Again Brilliant Performances by Katrina and Vijay - Filmyhype
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Date Created: 2024-01-12 14:15
4
Pros
- Performances: Both Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi are lauded for their nuanced and captivating portrayals of the film's central characters. Kaif's transformation from a glamorous star to a gritty, determined woman is particularly impressive.
- Story and Pacing: The film's twisty plot keeps viewers guessing until the very end, with its fast-paced narrative and unexpected turns. However, some critics have found the pacing slightly uneven in certain segments.
- Technical Aspects: The film's cinematography and music are singled out for creating a stylish and atmospheric backdrop for the suspenseful story.
- Hitchcockian Thrills: Raghavan masterfully crafts a suspenseful atmosphere, reminiscent of Hitchcock's classic thrillers. The film is filled with unexpected twists, red herrings, and moments of nail-biting tension that will have you on the edge of your seat.
- Stylish Visuals: The film boasts stunning cinematography, capturing the bustling Bombay streets and the opulent interiors of the characters' world in a way that adds to the overall sense of mystery and intrigue.
- Unpredictable Plot: Just when you think you have the film figured out, it throws another curveball. The story takes unexpected turns, keeping you guessing until the very end, and the climax is sure to leave you satisfied.
Cons
- Pacing Issues: Some critics have pointed out that the film's pacing can be uneven, particularly in the first half, which takes its time to set the stage. However, the slow burn builds anticipation for the explosive second half.
- Dark Tone: This is not a lighthearted film. Be prepared for some intense moments and darker themes, which might not be for everyone.
- Limited Christmas Connection: While the film is set during Christmas, the holiday itself doesn't play a major role in the story. If you're looking for a traditional Christmas movie, this is not the one for you.
