EXCLUSIVE: Katrina Kaif calls Merry Christmas co-star Vijay Sethupathi ‘gifted’ actor; had to Google him to ‘refresh her memory’

Katrina Kaif recalled watching Vijay in 96 for the first time but sort of had to ‘refresh her memory’ by googling him up when the casting conversations for Merry Christmas began.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

January 10, 2024 - 5:00 PM IST

Merry Christmas, directed by the acclaimed Sriram Raghavan, is poised for its theatrical release on January 12, 2024. Starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, the film has been shot in Hindi and Tamil languages, respectively. The trailer was launched in December 2023 and a press conference was held on January 4, 2024, to launch the Tamil trailer. Post that, the two stars and the director sat down with Bollywood Hungama to discuss the film. During the conversation, Katrina Kaif recalled watching Vijay in 96 for the first time but sort of had to ‘refresh her memory’ by googling him up when the casting conversations for Merry Christmas began.

EXCLUSIVE: Katrina Kaif calls Merry Christmas co-star Vijay Sethupathi ‘gifted’ actor; had to Google him to ‘refresh her memory’

Speaking during Bollywood Hungama Hangout, Katrina Kaif said, “I had actually first really noticed in the film class of 83… Is it class of 83 or 83?” Both Vijay and Sriram corrected her that it was 96, and she said, “96, sorry. That’s a few years off but… I had loved that film 96. It had scenes that even now I remember in my head. The moments between him and Trisha, very unique and very tender, they really stayed with me. So, I was familiar with him from that movie.”

However, it had been a while since she had watched the film so he had to search for him on Google to ‘refresh her memory’. “I just googled him straight away, just to refresh my memory. And the first image that came up on Instagram was this very distinguished salt and pepper kind of silver hair, which, for me, I loved,” she said.

While everyone around her was excited about the potential casting, many called it an ‘unusual’ pairing. But, Katrina does not feel that way. She said, “To me, it feels like two actors coming together for a very unusual story.”

Talking about Vijay’s immense stardom, she said, “I think he has a lot of honesty in what he does. He is very unafraid of what he is doing. He has a unique vision of life and I think that comes across in his performances. He has a unique way he sees life. And I think he is a gifted artist.”

Produced by Ramesh Taurani, Sanjay Routray, Jaya Taurani & Kewal Garg, Merry Christmas is a collaboration between Tips Films and Matchbox Pictures.