Merry Christmas review: Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi deliver class act in Sriram Raghavan's slow burner

No one could have possibly imagined casting Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethipathi opposite each other in a film. Or perhaps only filmmaker Sriram Raghavan could have thought of casting these two actors in a film together. The result is an interesting slow-burn Neo-noir called Merry Christmas. The genre is a familiar territory for Raghavan a master storyteller who crafts intrinsic tales of crime, passion, and mystery in each of his films. In Merry Christmas, Raghavan experiments with his screenplay a bit but the climatic finale leaves you wondering about the characters long after the film is over.

What's the story of Merry Christmas?

Set at a time when Mumbai was called Bombay, the story pans over a single night when the city is making merry and ringing in Christmas with their loved ones. Except for Albert and Maria - two lonely souls who meet at a restaurant by chance and end up spending a night together walking through the streets of Bombay. She is unhappy in her marriage and has a child to take care of. He has a mysterious past. When the man offers to help her carry the sleeping child back home, the two form an uncanny friendship. Things seem to be going smoothly until a man's body is found in Maria's apartment leading to confusion and suspicion.

Written by Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti, and Anukriti Pandey the film's first half almost doesn't appear to be a typical Sriram Raghavan film. You know there's a twist lurking in the corner but what you see seems to be a conversational film of two strangers..much like the Before Sunrise series. The first half of the film mostly has Kiaf and Sethipathi talking and walking around Bombay's lit streets. No twists or turns in the screenplay and it seems pretty plausible that these two very different individuals can form a bond over a drink or two. It's mostly her talking and him listening. The story unravels like how it would in a book. The film is based on Frédéric Dard's book Bird In A Cage and the writers adapt the book for the Indian sensibilities ably. We know that both are hiding things from each other, but the narrative takes its time to unravel their respective truth. The result is a deeply engrossing film that need not put you on the edge of your seat throughout yet makes you feel invested in its characters. 

The screenplay is spruced by easter eggs and multiple pop culture references - typical of Raghavan's films. The early pupl fictions, ode to classics, some retro music - all are interspersed into the narrative. The twist comes in the second half, where the story's pace picks up and gets you more engaged in the story. 

Casting is the biggest winner

The film's casting is possibly one of the best in recent times. The film alleviates to a great level because it has Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi playing Maria and Albert. Sethupathi is known for his acting prowess. Albert is a do-gooder who gets stuck in an unexpected murky situation. One of my favourite moments of the actor in the film involves his interaction with Anne (child actor Pari Sharma), Maria's mute daughter. For those who have watched Super Delux, would recall how Sethupathi had some of the most brilliant scenes with his onscreen son in the film. It is not easy to act with child actors - and to bring out an organic chemistry onscreen but Sethupathi masterfully brings it out. Merry Christmas is one such example. Sethupathi's Albert is a mysterious man for sure but also someone who you would end up trusting when you are in a sticky spot. 

Kaif, meanwhile has come a long way. From a 16-year-old Brit-Asian model who was always written off by critics as just a pretty face in her initial years- to becoming the glamour quotient in every other action blockbuster- the actress has over the last decade and a half evolved into a matured performer. One who knows what works on screen, one who has tried to reinvent herself even within the realms of commercial cinema which depends more on theatrics, and song-and-dance routine than performances of actors. This is easily Kaif's best performance to date (Zero being a close second). The actress plays the elusive, tragic, mysterious and hauntingly beautiful Maria to perfection. Sethupathi and Kaif together bring amazing magic to the screen- stuff that one possibly wouldn't have imagined to witness on screen. 

The supporting cast consisting of Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Radhika Apte, Tinu Anand, Pratima Kazmi and Ashwini Kalsekar brings in the right amount of quirk that is typical of Raghavan's noir. 

Shot beautifully by Madhu Neelakandan, Merry Christmas has beautiful framings throughout. The background score of Daniel B George is fantastic and plays a crucial part in storytelling with Raghavan using music entirely and no dialogues in the climax. I watched the Hindi version of the film and its climax reportedly is different from the Tamil version. 

I did have a problem with the way the characters easily believed rank strangers throughout the film but Sriram Raghavan's style of storytelling made me indulge in the story to a great extent. 

Merry Christmas is also Raghavan's sappiest film to date which is not a bad thing. It is not as edgy as his previous outings but a story that you want to devour. It stays with you even after it's over. 

Merry Christmas is like a good glass of mulled wine- you need to enjoy it slowly, taking in the flavours and not gulp it down.