Merry Christmas

I saw this third day last show with my family in Gaiety theater, Bandra West.

The sad part was that the theatre was almost empty but i enjoyed the movie n was looking forward to it cos of the director Raghavan. While the misogynist n regressive film like Animal was theatre packed.

Coming back to this film, this one truly transports the viewers to the 80s Bombay. The Regal theatre, Colaba's lanes n empty streets all added an extra nostalgic charm.

There are no twists n turns n the movie moves at a deliberate slow pace showcasing the laid back attitude of the 80s.

Haven't read the book n haven't seen the short movie.

Katrina Kaif was a very wrong choice to potray a woman from the 80s.

Vijay was perfect n gave a good restrained performance.

The movie has a surprise reveal, rather than some mind-blowing and wtf twist.

Excellent movie. A very detailed and intimate sequence starts the movie. Soft and nice and charming. It is all good. And you start wondering when the plot is going to start.

And just as you wonder, the movie starts talking. Plot thickens. Craft does stand out. Details come out in a very nonchalant manner.

The plot has a certain made-upness to it that can throw a viewer off. But at the same time, there are some very interesting nuances. I really loved the way the movie ended.

It was a can't put down for me. There are moments that movies present that just bring you joy. Spectacular shots that just bring elation to you out of the blue. There were multiple such moments in this movie.

There is a very fine emotional thread that stays intact through all the drama and that thread had a grey shade to it.

A very slow burn ..by a exceptional director who thrives in movies of this genre. He has had made most of his material hit the spot...and usally word of mouth gets his movies to go up in viewership But in this one ..the buildup takes an entire first half that could have been easily chopped by 30 percent minimum.. but in the hindsight the buildup was needed for the so called surprise ending But a watchful viewer would have guessed it as we get into the last course It's a very decent story ...but it doesn't bangs like his previous work.

Actors are very honest to their art. Katrina does exceptionally well. Vijay is such a charm you ...just love watching him on the screen.

Only if there was more meat on the soup the celebration would have made it perfect merry cristmas.

Started off quite well and looked promising. Kind of fell apart halfway.

The whole initial set up though of the two lead characters first meeting seemed quite trite and unnatural. Actually it looked forced as if the director wanted to start off the narrative in a hurry and couldn't bother to build upon characterisation.

First half is intriguing and definitely watchable. Shame that in the second half everything went for a toss.

Vijay is a very good actor there's no doubt, but this is not for him. He looked totally uncomfortable and particularly so in the intimate scenes with Katrina.

Katrina does decent work - nothing amazing. She does try hard but the efforts show. I think if the dialogues were in English, she would be much better placed.

The narrative itself is weak in the second half and by the final scenes, you lose interest. Anyway still a better watch than what's coming out of B/wood these days, in the name of cinema.

Serpentine twists and turns. Nail-biting suspense and tension-filled moments that keep you on edge. A masterstroke finale... Director SriramRaghavan delivers an out-of-the-box, absorbing tale that teases your mind, besides keeping you engaged and entertained. MerryChristmas could've done with faster pacing and slight trimming for an enhanced impact... Also, this film depends entirely on a strong word of mouth, so don't expect fireworks at the BO on arrival.

In the coming days, one word that's sure to be associated with Merry Christmas is 'slow burn'. In the past few years, we, as an audience, have become so accustomed to a fast-paced narrative that anything remotely unhurried feels like it's demanding a lot from us. In Merry Christmas, Sriram Raghavan takes his own sweet time to tell the tale of a woman in an unhappy marriage and a man with a mysterious past while also making sure that his characters have abundant time to breathe, talk, and even go for a walk around town.

On the whole, MERRY CHRISTMAS is a well-made thriller and is laced with a fine performance by Vijay Sethupathi. At the box office, it'll need a strong word of mouth to succeed as it appeals only to the multiplex audience in the urban areas.