| Merry Christmas | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sriram Raghavan |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Le Monte-charge by Frédéric Dard[1] |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Madhu Neelakandan |
| Edited by | Pooja Ladha Surti |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 144 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Languages |
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| Budget | ₹60 crore[3] |
| Box office | ₹5.70 crore[4] |
Merry Christmas is a 2024 Indian mystery thriller film directed by Sriram Raghavan and starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. It was filmed simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. The film is produced by Ramesh Taurani, Jaya Taurani, Sanjay Routray and Kewal Garg under Tips Films and Matchbox Pictures. It is based on Frédéric Dard's French novel Le Monte-charge (transl. Bird in a cage).
The film was officially announced in December 2021. Principal photography commenced the same month in Mumbai along with a sporadic schedule in Uttar Pradesh, which was again followed with a schedule in the former location, and wrapped by mid-January 2023. The film has music composed by Pritam, in his Tamil debut, cinematography handled by Madhu Neelakandan and editing by Pooja Ladha Surti.
After several postponements, Merry Christmas was released in theatres on 12 January 2024 to critical acclaim, with the performances of Kaif and Sethupathi receiving praise.
Plot[edit]
A tale of two strangers who meet in Bombay (set in a time when Mumbai was called Bombay), are trapped into the mysteries of the stories of each other.
Cast[edit]
| Cast (Hindi) | Cast (Tamil) | Role (Hindi) | Role (Tamil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katrina Kaif | Maria Kumar | ||
| Vijay Sethupathi | Albert Ramesh | Albert Arockiasamy | |
| Ashwini Kalsekar | Scarlett, Ronnie’s Wife | ||
| Luke Kenny | Jerome, Maria's husband | ||
| Radhika Apte | Rosie (Cameo appearance) | ||
| Gayathrie | Singer (Cameo appearance) | ||
| Sahil Vaid | Maria's date (Cameo appearance) | ||
| Pari Maheshwari Sharma | Annie, Maria's daughter | ||
| Sanjay Kapoor | Kavin Jay Babu | Ronnie Fernandes | Ronnie |
| Vinay Pathak | Shanmugarajan | Police Inspector Paresh Kamdar | Police Inspector S. Devaraj |
| Pratima Kazmi | Radhika Sarathkumar | Police Constable Laxmi | |
| Tinnu Anand | Rajesh | Yadhoom Uncle | |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In January 2021, it was reported that director Sriram Raghavan had put his directorial venture Ekkis, starring Varun Dhawan, on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and began working on a new project, which he reportedly approached Hindi actress Katrina Kaif and Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi for to play in the lead roles.[5] The film's launch was reported to be made in April, however, due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and Katrina testing postive for COVID-19, the launch was delayed.[6] On 25 December, the film was officially announced with Ramesh Taurani and Sanjay Routray as producers.[7]
