Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Movie Synopsis: The lives of a woman in an unhappy marriage and a man with a mysterious past are turned upside down on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas Movie Review: In the coming days, one word that’s sure to be associated with Merry Christmas is 'slow burn’. In the past few years, we, as an audience, have become so accustomed to a fast-paced narrative that anything remotely unhurried feels like it's demanding a lot from us. In Merry Christmas, Sriram Raghavan takes his own sweet time to tell the tale of a woman in an unhappy marriage and a man with a mysterious past while also making sure that his characters have abundant time to breathe, talk, and even go for a walk around town.

Of course, comparisons between Merry Christmas and Sriram’s last directorial, Andhadhun, are inevitable. But if Andhadhun’s first half was one hell of a ride with a monumental interval block, Merry Christmas chooses to lingeringly unleash its inner demon in the second half. Do the whys and wherefores of it all seamlessly come together at the end of the film? Maybe not. But it certainly keeps you hooked to the screen throughout, even at junctures where you have absolutely no clue what’s going on.

Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif’s pairing has already been discussed to death, but after watching the film, it makes sense why everyone has been looking forward to watching this onscreen couple. There’s a sense of subtleness and a spur-of-the-moment feel about Vijay that directly contrasts with a precise and sophisticated Katrina. But both actors radiate a gentle aura that works well together.

As good as Vijay and Katrina are in their respective roles, Ashwini Kalsekar and Shanmugarajan get the best lines that will leave you in splits. Both of their characters can be added to the list of supporting characters that deserve their own spinoff.

In a scene in the film, one character tells another that there’s no point in watching a movie without popcorn. Similarly, there’s no point in watching a Sriram Raghavan movie without expecting sporadic flashbacks, film references, completely out-there characters, and an edge-of-the-seat experience. All of this is also applicable for Merry Christmas, but in a quieter and lighter fashion.

Written by: Roopa Radhakrishnan