Katrina Kaif Says She Got “Homework” From Sriram Raghavan, Calls ‘Merry Christmas’ Co-Star Vijay Sethupathi “Class Topper”
Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi recently opened up on working with Sriram Raghavan for the upcoming movie ‘Merry Christmas’.
The wait to see two of the biggest Indian cinema stars, Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, on the silver screen together is almost over. The duo’s first collaboration ‘Merry Christmas’, directed by Sriram Raghavan, will arrive in cinemas on 12 January, 2024. Ahead of the film’s release, Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi and director Sriram Raghavan have been actively promoting ‘Merry Christmas’ by giving several interviews. Recently, during an interview, Katrina Kaif spoke about working with Sriram Raghavan and Vijay Sethupathi on ‘Merry Christmas’.
In the interview with Film Companion, Katrina Kaif said that the filmmaker gave her “homework” to better flesh out her character.
In the interview, Katrina was asked if ‘Merry Christmas’ was difficult leap for her after having played “morally upright” women in most of her past films.
She said, “Just because a lot of the films I’ve been a part of haven’t portrayed that, it doesn’t mean that me as a person doesn’t understand it, or doesn’t relate to it, or hasn’t experienced it. A lot of it came from discussions with Sriram sir. After our first meeting, where he narrated the film, he told me to write my own backstory for the character. He said, ‘Tell me what you think, where she came from, who she is, why she does what she does’. That process really helped me understand the world.”
When Vijay Sethupathi was asked if he also wrote backstories, Katrina Kaif chimed in, and said with a laugh, “I don’t think he was asked to write a backstory. I think that homework was only given to me. Because he’s the class topper, no?”
Vijay Sethupathi, who was last seen in the 2023 Atlee directorial ‘Jawan’, replied, “Only I know the pain I go through. Generally, when I hear a story, I try to understand about the character’s past life, and I ask questions.”
The South star also said that he cracked the character after watching Ilaiyaraaja’s masterclass in Goa, and when he relayed his idea to Sriram Raghavan, the ace filmmaker supported him.
The upcoming film ‘Merry Christmas’ marks Sriram Raghavan’s first feature film since the 2019 movie ‘Andhadhun’, which emerged as a massive critical and commercial hit. The movie, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Tabu, made over Rs 450 crore worldwide.
The movie has been shot in two languages -- Hindi and Tamil. The filmmaker is known for his neo-noir thrillers and ‘Merry Christmas’ is being touted as another suspense film with a twist.
Besides Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, the Hindi version of ‘Merry Christmas’ will also star Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, and Tinnu Anand. Meanwhile, the Tamil version has Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kevin Jay Babu, and Rajesh Williams.
Ashwini Kalsekar and Radhika Apte will be seen in an exciting cameo appearances. Reportedly, the crime thriller will revolve around an uneventful day that turns Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi’s worlds upside down. It is about an event that takes place on Christmas Eve.
Talking about Vijay Sethupathi, he was last seen in Atlee’s ‘Jawan’, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Nayanthara. The movie was a major box office success. Meanwhile, Katrina Kaif was last seen alongside Salman Khan and Emraan Hashmi in ‘Tiger 3’.
