New Delhi: 'Merry Christmas' is a very stylish film. Each scene and sequence is very well-choreographed, complemented with music and a background score that does most of the job of conveying the intent of characters and the story. Starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, the film is stamped with the Sriram Raghavan signature all over it.
A background score that is almost a character and works with a touch of horror and and a lot of mystery, an interesting mix of actors, strange chemistry, neo-noir thriller and a filmography heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, even to the extent where the camera is placed in a scene, voyeuristic angles and a lot more; 'Merry Christmas' has all of it.
But first, what everyone really wants to know. Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi make an interesting pair and a natural sense of equilibrium is maintained in their scenes. If Vijay Sethupathi brings a sense of humour and garvity to a scene, Katrina Kaif brings in the drama and madness.
Their chemistry looks mystical and other-worldly but as audiences in a Sriram Raghavan movie, one tends to buy into the madness and impossible theatrics of a story.
And, the closeups especially those with Katrina Kaif are intense. For a megastar in her capacity, Katrina Kaif does a commendable job in her role.
Meanwhile, Sethupathi is a natural part of the story who looks most at ease with the script, the dialogue and the dark humour it portrays.
That brings me to the screenplay of the film. Like all Sriram Raghavan films, no scene or shot feels wasted.
Everything conveys an intent, a motive, a loophole which is connected to the larger climax towards the end of the film.
This is also achieved with the help of one of the best climaxes Hindi cinema history has ever seen, something that needs more than a review to talk about.
Sriram Raghavan is also a master of staging.
'Merry Christmas' is set in the pre-Mumbai era when the city was called Bombay. A sense of nostalogia is created on-screen bringing back a time with no phones, social media.
A slow pace of life is maintained and brought to screen with a setting that uses dramatic colours to maintain a sense of un-reality and drama vs the natural colours of life that include blands of grey, brown, black and more.
The red curtains in Katrina Kaif's house or the green wallpaper,and bright colours of the decor vs the reality of walls stripped of yellow wallpaper in Vijay Sethupathi's house, the tonality of the film is divided very clearly to portray a sense of real or fiction or a mix between the two.
Another highlight of 'Merry Christmas' is the music.
Jazzy tracks and backgrounds score that compliments the screenplay and almost works like a character in the film who completes unsaid sentenses, puts sense and fills voids in empty silences and dramatises tension where performance is bare minimum, the music of 'Merry Christmas' is in fact one of the best parts of the film.
There is also a meta musical moment in the film, perhaps one of the best scenes from it, where Vijay Sethupathi is humming along with the background theme music. It is such a small and meta narrative moment, so easily and cleverly achieved in a way that also acknowleges the importance of music in the film medium.
'Merry Christmas' is adapted from a French novel and draws on a lot of cliches and catchphrases from life and subverts neo noir genre conventions. It's more than just a film that draws on several art forms, especially theatre and performing arts.
A film about two strangers in the night meeting and burying a night of murder thankfully not scored to 'Strangers in the Night', 'Merry Christmas' is the not-so-usual commercial entertainer needed every once in a while.
A film that shows some respect to the audience's intellect, 'Merry Christmas' is a great start to 2024 and Sriram Raghavan and his team including the two leads; Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, all deserve full marks for it.
As for the plot, the reviewer has barely given any details. It's much better to watch it than read about it in a 'Merry Christmas' review.