Merry Christmas: A Thrilling Love Tale Unfolds

According to Sriram Raghavan, he originally planned for "Merry Christmas" to be a nonstop, ninety-minute thriller. However, while the screenplay was being written, the plot continued evolving and finally took on the shape of a "emotional love story" with two shattered individuals.

The film, which is set over the course of a night and stars Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif, is about two strangers whose lives become intertwined when they meet at a restaurant on Christmas eve.

The most satisfying aspect of my work as a filmmaker was seeing the gradual transition from a gritty thriller to a romantic drama throughout the screenplay and editing stages. At first, I assumed it would be a thriller lasting ninety minutes with no breaks, similar to "Ittefaq." That was my specialty. However, as we elaborated, it improved and became better.

We changed the emphasis because we fell in love with these characters, and I'm so happy we did. It turned into a movie about two damaged individuals and shattered relationships. It's basically a love tale wrapped up in a suspenseful thriller. In an interview with PTI, Raghavan said, "That's the big twist."

The sixty-year-old director is pleased that the movie has received positive reviews and that word-of-mouth is growing every day.

"I'm receiving positive feedback. He described the movie as a lighthearted approach to examine the themes of "sacrifice and redemption" while remarking that "many people have seen it twice and it has touched them in a manner I didn't expect."

In previous interviews, Raghavan expressed his desire for the tale to be portrayed in a single evening, much to Yash Chopra's iconic "Ittefaq" from 1969. He emphasized that he aimed to recreate the intimate atmosphere of the film by focusing on two strangers who are just sitting and conversing.

Raghavan even performed "Ittefaq" for his group since many people had not watched the thriller starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda, which had a "cool man-woman attraction". The filmmaker believes that the picture will continue to expand over the following few days. The film was released on January 12 and has already made over Rs 13 crore at the domestic box office. "Andhadhun" from 2018 was his most recent release.

"We anticipate a successful second week. Even though a lot of people said, "We came expecting this film to be like 'Andhadhun,'" everyone experiences this following a good movie. I like 'Shaan' just as much as 'Sholay,'" he said, citing the two singles by Ramesh Sippy that came out five years apart as an example.

Known for his thrillers, including "Ek Hasina Thi," "Johnny Gaddaar," and "Badlapur," Raghavan stated that keeping the "audience invested" was the main goal of his new film, which is based on the well-known French novel "Le Monte-charge" by Frederic Dard, which also served as the inspiration for the 1962 movie "Paris Pick-up."

People these days are inundated with large-scale extravaganzas, which is fantastic in its own right—it's like seeing an SRK movie in a theater. But that isn't how "Merry Christmas" works. It's a much more personal kind of watching.

"The movie's theme here is loneliness. For example, you wouldn't approach a movie like Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" with the mindset of "Hurry up the pace" because you're eager to reach the finale. The language of cinema is distinct. He remarked, "If people are in a movie theater, the movie has to hold their attention. I changed a lot of things from the original book, including the ending.

Raghavan said that after showing the video to Dard's family, they were very pleased with how it turned out.

"He is a 300-book author. He is comparable to Surender Mohan Pathak of India. He authored pulp fiction and other things concerning espionage. Four of his works were translated in some way, and I was able to get a copy of this one from a friend. I felt that it deserved to be turned into a movie after reading it." As a well-known movie enthusiast, Raghavan is renowned for including allusions and hints to his favorite books and movies in his works. "Merry Christmas" is no exception, paying homage to "Ittefaq" and his favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock and Eric Rohmer, who are both French. In actuality, a specific scene in "Merry Christmas" is inspired by Rohmer's "The Green Ray".

Raghavan also gives a nod to Shakti Samanta, the filmmaker of popular movies like "Howrah Bridge," "An Evening in Paris," "Aradhana," "Amar Prem," and "Kati Patang," in the opening credits of his most recent picture.

"In the stunning opening sequence of "Kati Patang," Asha Parekh lets forth a scream. This phrase is a traditional Asha Parekh one (and the beginning of 'Merry Christmas'). The movie is dedicated to Shakti Samanta. These days, he's almost forgotten. The director said, "I thought it would be wonderful to say hello to him and remind people of this man's legacy."

The military drama "Ekkis," featuring Agastya Nanda from "The Archies," is Raghavan's next project.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.