Movie Review : Merry Christmas

 

Remember Johny Gaddar, Badlapur, Andhadhun... What do they all have in common ? They are all good movies who may not have raked in their 100s of crores but they were liked by the audience. And they are all from the stables of that underrated genius, Sriram Raghavan. 

He is back after six years with "Merry Christmas" and has certainly lived upto his own genre and brand.  The movie is based on Frederic Dard's French novel 'Le Monte-charge'. The title of the French story literally translates as 'Dumbwaiter'. In English, the novel was known as Bird in a Cage. Both a freight elevator and a trapped avian are relevant analogies in the context of the tale that Merry Christmas locates in the Christian community of 1980s Bombay.

Two strangers meet on Christmas eve, become familiar and friendly... And what follows thereafter in next 24 hours is classic Sriram Raghavan stuff. The first half will appear pretty run-of-the-mill with 'boy and girl next door kind of simplicity' to begin with and intertwined with a slow build up which will continue to touch your heart in the process. As the two strangers continue to spend time together, they make each other laugh and sigh. They connect. It’s the stuff of dreams. But something isn’t right. It does not take your breath away, because you are too busy holding it. It's definitely a build up. And you keep getting signs here and there...  A John Lennon quote in the beginning, Screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940) and The Adventures of Pinocchio (1978) at Regal Cinema, flashing of “The Night is Darkest before the Dawn” under Rajesh Khanna’s face, emphatic use of origami and paper swans, a giant teddy bear (both literally and figuratively), a bakery with a furnace, a fishbowl and a wedding ring... They all add to the power of the screenplay. The controlled momentum of the film, and even its occasional lack of pace, is an integral part of the design. Every cut, every camera angle and every bit of blocking enhances anticipation and foreboding without letting on what exactly is to be expected round the corner.

Nevertheless it's the 2nd half that completely blows your mind with superb humour, twists and turns, & the pay-off at the climax makes the movie worth your time and penny. Watchout for the Police Station sequence, that alone is a masterclass in filmmaking. The sequence is somehow everything at once: impossibly romantic, harrowing, hopeful and sad. It’s pure film-making, because at its core it’s just a bunch of people speaking at the Police Station. The cutting and camerawork internalise the drama and amplify the stakes without any visual or narrative exaggeration. It’s a remarkable achievement, given the co-existence of excess and economy. 

Raghavan keeps you engrossed for two hours. Whom to be suspicious of, who to be sympathetic of, a little bit of love, a few emotions, touch of horror and some bit of thrill... you feel it all. The happenings appear so real and natural as if everything is unfolding in front of your eyes. And on the screen, what is in front of your eyes is not the truth; and what the truth is, will not be in front of your eyes.

Come to think of it,  the whole movie is about a murder; but still there is no violence of any kind in the movie. Amazing indeed. It is a movie which mostly runs in your mind. You will have to do a lot of thinking, and be alive, which Raghavan forces you to. 

And what to say of Vijay Sethupati, he is a master of his craft. He steals the show with his splendid act, while Katrina Kaif's captivating performance surprises and delights. Vijay and Katrina make for a little awkward combination when you hear about it before going to watch the movie. Both speak broken Hindi, but who cares when they win your hearts with their acting. Actually it is the power of the screenplay and story writing that an actress of limited skills like Katrina, comes across as a top notch performer. 

Loved the music by Pritam, especially the violin bit in the climax was mind boggling! Arijit Singh kills it with the track 'Raat Akeli Thi'.

Watch the movie for its strong and unpredictable screenplay, powerful performances and a wonderful climax. As reviewed in NDTV, 'Intriguing, stimulating, gripping and gently challenging, Merry Christmas is everything you would want a thriller to be. It bewitches even when it baffles."

I read somewhere that good films make us hold our breath while simultaneously taking our breath away; But the great ones simply allow us to exhale.

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Credits : World Wide Web