Vijay Sethupathi & Katrina Kaif’s Merry Christmas Movie Review: Cleverly made dark comedy

Director: Sriram Raghavan Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Katrina Kaif, Radhika Apte, Vinay Pathak, Tinu Anand The slow pace Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas is what makes the film so different as compared to what the entertainment industry has been feeding us in the whole of last year. The best thing about Raghavan’s films is the surprise element attached to it. When you think that all that mystery is over, there is something completely new that will pop up and that’s what happens with Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif’s Merry Christmas too. With dark humour cinema becoming a huge rage, I wonder how Raghavan manages to dish out something different every time he makes a film. Refusing to do the obvious, the movie is kind of a slow burn with an unthinkable twist. Raghavan allows the film to be marinated well and then slow cooks it on low flame. But like every well cooked story, you will relish every bit of it. Being the master craftsman of dark humour, Raghavan knows exactly how this genre works. And on top of that the unusual pairing of Kaif and Sethupathi will make everybody all the more curious. We are sure something wacky was going on in his mind when he thought of pairing them. But they look wickedly good together. [caption id=“attachment_13604882” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas Review[/caption] An adaptation of popular French writer Frederic Dard’s novel Bird In A Cage, the movie starts with the old city of Mumbai then Bombay celebrating Christmas Eve. The streets are lighted up and celebration is in full swing keeping the Christmas cheer alive.  Albert ( Vijay Sethupathi ) is seen returning home after seven long years. He is seen mourning the death of his mother.  An architect based in Dubai, his mother passed away last year and he was unable to be there with him. There is a friendly neighbour who offers him a homemade wine bottle and tells him how he used to read out his letters to his mother when Albert (Sethupathi) was not in the country. Each and everyone of us has a very different way of dealing with grief, here we see Albert ( Vijay Sethupathi ) going around in the city, plunging into the festive mood and trying to hard to get over it. [caption id=“attachment_13604872” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas[/caption] It is the effortless performance of Sethupathi which makes the film all the more fun. When it comes to looks and diction, he is everything that a typical Hindi film hero shouldn’t be. But not trying to fit into any boxes is what makes Sethupathi one of the most attractive men in the entertainment industry. And I am sure that’s what every cinema understanding audience would like to see, a man who looks real and most importantly intelligent. As for Katrina Kaif ’s performance, for the first time she is seen sinking into her part, but gets overshadowed by Sethupathi’s charm. The short and sweet performance of Radhika Apte who plays the role of Albert’s (Sethupathi) ex-lover and is seen in just one scene is like another charming surprise of the film. Maria (Katrina Kaif) plays the role of a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage who is seen in a restaurant with her daughter, Annie. She happens to meet Albert (Vijay Sethupathi). Though they are strangers to each other, they connect over unusual circumstances. The movie is sure to make you feel nostalgic, especially for all Bombay lovers, especially the Regal cinema hall, the lanes of Colaba and old houses with beautiful architecture. What makes the movie all the more attractive is the unhurried pace. Merry Christmas is undoubtedly a rare treat. Rating: 4 out of 5 WATCH the trailer of Merry Christmas here