Merry Christmas (2024)

Andhadhun was one of the Bollywood/Indian movies that blew my mind when I watched it the first time. While Merry Christmas is not exactly mind-blowing in sense, it is a clever love story and a delightful cinema that wins you over when the movie ends.

Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif as the lead pair are lovely on screen. Vijay Sethupathi though plays the role of Albert, we often see only Vijay Sethupathi on the screen. Katrina Kaif is okay who doesn't hinder the movie even with the tamil dubbing voice that doesn't suit her.

Sriram Raghavan woves the story slowly but steadily. While I could see the complaints of the first half being below par, I loved it for the simple presentation and was grinning for most of it. The second half is where the cards are revealed and it was amazing to put it simply. Knowing the director, I was keenly noticing everything on the screen so that when the reveals are made in the final act, I could be the wiser despite that Sriram wins again as I didn't see the twist coming. The climax staging was superb and the way it ends is as wholesome as it can get.

The technicalities of the movie were good. While the camera work aided in the much needed deception for the movie, the cinematography flaunts the Bombay of yesteryears effectively. I have mixed feelings over the music and BGM. Firstly, the lyrics in the songs were good, thanks to Yugabharathi who has penned all the songs, the tunes are forgetful and thus it fails to make an impression. The BGM as well for certain scenes was weird but the orchestral music at places was done well. The whole climax relies on the BGM and it was top-notch.

On the downside, the movie despite being great feels longer in the second half. The dubbing of the Katrina Kaif could have been better. The movie is an adaptation of a French novel which shows in the setting of the atmosphere, wish it had been indianised better as I couldn't strike that thought that do our people live like this even if it's Bombay.

Overall, a tasteful suspense mystery drama that's worth every buck.