Merry Christmas press conference: Sriram Raghavan clarifies that he has not ‘copy-pasted’ Hindi version in the Tamil version; also adds “People think there is a different ending in both versions. Logon ko sochne do. Dono films dekho”

By Fenil Seta -

January 4, 2024 - 5:37 PM IST

Sriram Raghavan has become a force to reckon with, after the massive critical and commercial success of Andhadhun (2018). Hence, a lot is expected from his upcoming film, Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. It stands out from the rest of Sriram’s films as it’s also shot in Tamil. At the press conference of the film, Sriram spoke about the challenges faced in making a bi-lingual movie.

Merry Christmas press conference: Sriram Raghavan clarifies that he has not ‘copy-pasted’ Hindi version in the Tamil version; also adds “People think there is a different ending in both versions. Logon ko sochne do. Dono films dekho”

Sriram Raghavan was asked whether he has tried to achieve a balance by keeping in mind content as well as commerce in Merry Christmas. He replied, “I don’t think that way. We feel that if I and my team liked (the story), then the people at large would also be impressed by it. How much the budget should be, depends on the film and the producer. I only believe that if it has connected with me, the story should resonate with the audience as well.”

He continued, “I am a Tamilian and it was always a dream to make a film in Tamil. I also wish to make a Marathi film, since I have lived in Mumbai for so long. This film gave me that opportunity. Because Vijay is an actor from down South, I felt that it would be interesting to try (making a Tamil version). But I’ll not make a bi-lingual action kyunki bahut torture ho jaata hai hum logon ke liye (laughs)!”

He explained his process, “We would shoot a scene in Hindi. 10 days later, we would shoot it again, in Tamil. That time, we start thinking, ‘Kuch alag karte hai? Ya wohi karte hai? Camera angle and lighting change kar de?’. These things are not so much fun. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself as I wanted to make a Tamil film.”

The emcee asked Sriram Raghavan if he had adopted the ‘copy-paste’ method and he said, “How can it be copy-paste? The language in Tamil is a different idiom actually. The character actors are different. Vinay Pathak plays a role in the Hindi version which is played by Raadhika Sarathkumar in the Tamil film. Yes, the story is the same but zyada kuch bolunga nahin. People think there is a different ending in Hindi and Tamil version. Logon ko sochne do. Dono films dekho!”

As for why he didn’t shoot Merry Christmas in his favourite city Pune, Sriram Raghavan explained, “I needed a city where Christmas is celebrated. I grew up in Pune. We did a recce there but since it was COVID time, people were reluctant to give out their houses to shoot. Hence, we decided to shoot in Mumbai, in a controlled situation. Mumbai is also a great city. However, we have depicted Bombay of the 1980s. Aur aaj kal dono side itni gaadiyaan parked hai ki mazaa hi nahin aata hai. It took us a lot of time to remove the cars from the frame. Hamara vaat lag gaya tha (laughs)! Nevertheless, we have tried to create a more innocent and a more beautiful Bombay.”

Also Read: Merry Christmas press conference: Sanjay Kapoor jokes why he’s so fit: “Boney eats it all. Anil Kapoor and I don’t get to eat anything”; also reveals Sriram Raghavan’s touching gesture when he came on board