Not Vijay Sethupathi, this actor was Sriram Raghavan's first choice opposite Katrina Kaif in Merry Christmas

Slated to release in theatres on January 12, Merry Christmas has grabbed the attention of the audiences since its trailer as it features an interesting pairing of Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. The suspense thriller marks Sriram Raghavan's return to direction after more than five years since his last commercially successful release Andhadhun in 2018.

In a recent interview, the filmmaker shared that Vijay Sethupathi was not his first choice for Merry Christmas. He said that Saif Ali Khan had liked the role but he refused to cast him as he wanted a fresh pairing for the film. Speaking to Pinkvilla, the Badlapur director said, "What happened was I had met Katrina just casually after Andhadhun (released in 2018), and we were discussing doing something. And I had this story. As I began, ‘I said ok. She will be fab in this. Who is the guy? I went through the usuals, our whole lot. I was trying to compare. I said, ‘OK. They have done something.'"

"Then I wanted a very unique kind of pairing because that's the story requirement. One should not get any baggage from either of them. What are these people about and so on. So I met another actor who liked the role also. Then I told him sorry because ‘You have worked with her before,'" the filmmaker added. When Katrina asked him which other actor he was talking about, Sriram answered, "Saif Ali Khan", and added, "I met him (Saif Ali Khan) and he was a little upset later when I told him ‘no.' At that time, I did not cast Vijay (Sethupathi). I was just saying, ‘No, I want something fresh. I do not know what I am looking for.'" Saif Ali Khan had played the antagonist in Raghavan's debut feature Ek Hasina Tha in 2004 and also headlined the global spy thriller Agent Vinod in 2012.

The Johnny Gaddaar director further shared how he finalised the Jawan actor for the role. "So then I was going to Melbourne for a film festival. And on the way, I saw this movie 96. Before that I have seen Vikram Vedha, and a couple of other films of Vijay. He was getting an award there. So, he also came to Melbourne. And, we just met there. And I asked him, ‘Do you speak Hindi?' He said, ‘Main teen saal Dubai mein kaam kar chuka hun (I have worked in Dubai for 3 years).' I said, ‘ok, great.' So, then I think this is a very interesting and oddball combination, which will make people curious", Raghavan concluded.

Merry Christmas has been shot in two languages Hindi and Tamil with two separate set of supporting actors. The Hindi version features Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, and Tinnu Anand, while the Tamil version stars Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kavin Jay Babu, and Rajesh Williams. Radhika Apte and Ashwini Kalsekar have special cameos in both the versions.

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