I wanted a unique pairing: Sriram

Vijay told me he had worked in Dubai for three years: Sriram

Merry Christmas will be released on January 12th

With the release of Sriram Raghavan directorial “Merry Christmas” due on January 12th director Sriram Raghavan has revealed that the first choice for the role of male lead was initially Saif Ali Khan. “I had met Katrina casually after ‘Andhadhun’ and we were discussing doing something together. I had a story and when she listened to it, she really liked it and asked me who the guy was. At that time I had some other actor in my mind. I had spoken to Saif Ali Khan and he liked the story, but then I had to say ‘no’ to him. I wanted a unique pairing. That is the story requirement. I did not want any baggage from either of them. I wanted to have someone fresh who has not done any work with Katrina. Soon after, I was going to Melbourne for a film festival and on my way there, I watched the film ’96’ of Vijay. I also met him there and asked him if he spoke Hindi. He told me he had worked in Dubai for three years. This is how this oddball combination came about. It got me excited to work on this film,” he said in an interview with IANS. 

Vijay Sethupathi’s Hindi might not be the most refined but so is the case with Katrina Kaif. This might make their chemistry stand out even brighter as a testament to the diversity of our nation.