Merry Christmas review: Vijay Sethupathi masterclass, Katrina's career-best act elevate riveting, near-perfect thriller

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Katrina Kaif, Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Tinnu Anand, Radhika Apte

Where to watch: Theatres

Rating: 4 stars

If Netflix’s Killer Soup was this week’s appetiser of quality dark comedy, Sriram Raghavan serves the main course a day later with Merry Christmas. The filmmaker has perfected the art of telling the thriller with doses of dark humour over the years, and he displays his mastery in this intimate film with perfection. Helping him along is a masterful Vijay Sethupathi who starts the year of with a performance that may end up being one of the year’s best. And of course, Katrina Kaif ups her game too in what is her best work in years, if not the best ever.

Merry Christmas is the story of two strangers – Albert (Sethupathi) and Maria (Katrina) – an architect who has returned to Mumbai (when it was Bombay) after seven years, and a mother out with her daughter. The two form an instant connection and romance ensues on Christmas eve. But both have secrets to hide, which leads to a rather unholy mess on one of the holiest of days. What follows are quintessential Sriram Raghavan thrills and chills.

The genre-bending approach of Sriram Raghavan that we have loved in Andhadhun and Johnny Gaddar is well on truly on show here. But Merry Christmas is slightly different. It is not as vicious as its predecessors in the Sriram Raghavan filmography. But the filmmaker offsets that with characters that are as colourful as ever. Merry Christmas brings a noir style to 90s’ (or maybe 80s’) Bombay, very nicely merging the Christmas festivities in the setting.

In Tamil Nadu, Sethupathi is referred to as the Makkal Selvan, or people’s treasure. You can spot this term on the title card of Merry Christmas among other films. With his performance here, the actor emphasises why the people treasure him so much. They say that it is the mark of an accomplished actor when they can emote without speaking, just with their eyes. But in this film, Sethupathi takes it a notch higher and acts with just his body in several scenes. His body language alone is sufficient to convey what Albert is feeling. It is a masterclass in natural acting.

Katrina Kaif has given some strong performances over the years with Namaste London springing to mind. But that was years ago. In Merry Christmas, we see a different, more mature Katrina. And this one does act. She emotes, her expressions are not measured or fake in any manner and even her dialogue delivery is measured.

What drives the film is the two leads’ chemistry. It is a surprising pair but one that works perfectly. Apart from Akshay Kumar, it is hard to recall an actor with whom Katrina has looked so naturally at ease. Even the scenes where the two characters are being awkward with each other have come out so beautifully that you could just watch these two being awkward for hours at end. Then there is the support cast, with everyone from Vinay Pathak to Ashwini Kalsekar and Radhika Apte leaving a mark despite having very limited screen time.

Merry Christmas is Raghavan’s most intimate film yet. The ‘crime’ is intimate, the characters are more white than black, and the thrill is more humane. It still retains most of the elements of what makes him him but introduces a more mature angle to crime and those who we consider criminals. Raghavan has often dedicated his films to past greats, be it Vijay Anand in Johnny Gaddar or Shakti Samanta in Merry Christmas. And looking at Samanta’s filmography and his exploration of human relationships, it makes sense for a ‘soft’ (by Raghavan standards) film like Merry Christmas to be for him.

In Merry Christmas, Raghavan employs his usual strengths – music, performances, fast-paced thrills, pop culture references, witty dialogue, and stunning cinematography. But he also brings in the fun, humane nature of people and situations. It is, to an extent, an amalgamation of several of his previous works, and surpasses most of them.

And yet, Merry Christmas suffers in its final act. The climax, the most important part of any thriller, disappoints. It is underwhelming to say the least. Raghavan does pull a rug from under your feet in his signature style but you feel a little cheated having rooted for the story to go one way. In the end, it is the filmmaker’s choice but the end does leave you slightly unsatisfied. As I said in the beginning, it is a delicious main course. I just wish the dessert was too.