paragshrijoshi

Kudos the debutants for pulling this off. Such a fresh idea filled with laughter and superb performances. However, the idea had so much potential that it could actually be India's Jumanji but wasted midway. It feels the director lost the plot post the interval and was just dragging it. The three main leads have done a fabulous job with a special mention for the guy who played Jithin. The change in the characters has been played so beautifully that one get totally immersed in their world of madness.

I hope some big names come to help the newbie director and they have a better sequal soon.

Based on the French Novel 'A bird in the Cage', Merry Christmas shapes more as a Staged drama of early 1900s than a movie. The first half keeps you hooked not with the mystery but the character and world building. Sriram Raghavan seems to have experimented with this one by drifting away from his regular darker way of spinning the mysteries.

One might get disappointed if the expectations would be of a mystery thriller but overall the movie stands out for many reasons. The characters keep drinking wine throughout the movie but it's the performances & chemistry of the lead which tastes the most delicious one.

An open ended climax would have worked much better though.

There are almost a dozen Indian Movies in the last decade where individuals go on expeditions to find true meaning of life. 'Ole aale' is no different. A feel good, slice of life movie with great writing and excellent delivery by Nana Patekar.

The DOP has captured some stunning visuals of Himalayas and the Music by Sachin Jigar adds the much needed flavour which is usually not paid much attention in Marathi movies.

Screenplay gets erratic in the second half with the trio jumping from one location to the other and the love angle seems abrupt as well.

Overall, the movie successfully delivers the intended message with both laughter and tears in eyes.