‘DIDN’T EXPECT MERRY CHRISTMAS TO GET THE SAME LOVE AS ANDHADHUN’
Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan opens up about the mixed reception of his latest Katrina Kaif-starrer film
I hoped the film (Merry Christmas) would work on the big screen. That being said, it has its value, and I am fine with the response. SRIRAM RAGHAVAN, Filmmaker
Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan was far from shocked when the audience called his last film, Merry Christmas (2024), slow. Raghavan, who collaborated on the film with actors Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, admits that he knew the film would not appeal to everyone. “Every film is just like your first, and you learn something with every project. When it comes to my vision, I try to look for a variety in subjects that I pick, even though they may all be in the thriller genre,” the filmmaker shares, adding, “For instance, Merry Christmas was a love story in the guise of a thriller — that got me excited.”
Opening up about the film’s mixed reception, the director shares how he never expected it to perform like the commercial hit and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Andhadhun (2018). He says, “I was not expecting the same love that Andhadhun got. But it was the success of Andhadhun that encouraged me to do something experimental and riskier. Yet in my heart, I hoped the film would work on the big screen. That being said, it has its value, and I am fine with the response that the film got.”
Recently, Raghavan also curated the thriller section for the upcoming multi-genre Red Lorry Film Festival in Mumbai. Talking about the event, he says, “The primary job of a film festival is to collect film lovers, so that there’s communal viewing and interaction. That was my intention with this one as I focussed on curating thriller films across different eras.”