Merry Christmas is one of the most-awaited flicks of 2024. Starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, the upcoming film is directed by Sriram Raghavan, who previously helmed films such as Badlapur and Andhadhun. As per a report by IANS, the director revealed how he initially had some other actor as the lead in his mind, before locking Vijay for the role. It was none other than Saif Ali Khan. "I had met Katrina casually after 'Andhadhun' and we were discussing doing something together. I had a story and when she listened to it, she really liked it and asked me who the guy was,'' Raghavan said.
"At that time I had some other actor in my mind. I had spoken to Saif Ali Khan and he liked the story, but then I had to say 'no' to him. I wanted a unique pairing. That is the story requirement,'' he added.
Talking about how he finalised Vijay for the role, he said that he wanted to have a fresh pair with Katrina for the film. ''I did not want any baggage from either of them. I wanted to have someone fresh who has not done any work with Katrina. Soon after, I was going to Melbourne for a film festival and on my way there, I watched the film '96' of Vijay. I also met him there and asked him if he spoke Hindi. He told me he had worked in Dubai for three years. This is how this oddball combination came about. It got me excited to work on this film,'' he said.
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About Merry Christmas
The romantic thriller film has been made simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil.
Last week, the trailer of Merry Christmas was unveiled by its makers and garnered a lot of attention, especially for its unique casting. After being postponed, the film is finally releasing in theatres on January 12, 2024.
