Review : Merry Christmas: A gripping murder mystery!

#SriramRaghavan has aced the murder mystery genre with films like #JonnyGaddar, #Badlapur, #Andhadhun etc. His latest #MerryChristmas too is a gripping murder mystery albeit a few flaws. Raghavan keeps the proceedings flowing keeping the viewers engrossed in the proceedings. Though one can guess the murderer much in advance, he tactfully reveals that interpersing light humour in the dialogues, his trademark. Merry Christmas is based on the French novel ‘Le Monte-Charge’ written by Frédéric Dard and the film takes place in an era when Mumbai was known as Bombay.

The story of the film happens around Christmas eve. Albert (Vijay Sethupathi) returns to his Bombay home after a gap of seven years. His landlord (Tinnu Anand) welcomes him warmly and presents him a bottle of wine. Albert had lost his mother a year back and to avoid loneliness he moves out to have a couple of drinks in a restaurant. He happens to meet Maria (Katrina Kaif) and her daughter Annie, under ‘unusual’ circumstances. The coincidence continues as they bump into a theatre too. They start conversing and Maria invites Albert to her place for a drink. After putting Annie to sleep they decide to enjoy the Christmas eve and return home after an hour. But there’s a surprise waiting for them in the form of a corpse of Jerome, Maria’s husband. What transpires next forms the crux of the story.

Sriram Raghavan has offered a sleek product but there are a few lacunaes in the scripting.
The first half is used to establish the characters and the olden Bombay. The narrative gains momentum after the crime scene comes forth.
Production design is excellent as it has successfully created the Bombay of 70s and 80s. The background score is excellent too as it enhances the impact of the proceedings. The editing should have been sharper as the film’s length (144 mins) seems a bit long. The climax looks abrupt and the open ending gives a scope for a sequel.

Vijay Sethupathi delivers an extra ordinary performance. His ease in front of the camera is marvelous and his subtlety in performance is laudable. His witty lines elevate the happenings on screen. This must be Katrina Kaif’s best performance so far. She looks extremely pretty and tries to infuse life in her character. Tinnu Anand Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak lend excellent support.

Merry Christmas is a gripping murder mystery and surely is a one time watch.

Rating : ***1/2