Sriram Raghavan REVEALS Saif Ali Khan wanted to play Vijay Sethupathi’s role in Merry Christmas; says, “He was a little upset that I told him no” : Bollywood News

The trailer of Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, has created a buzz ahead of its release. A section of moviegoers is lauding the chemistry of the lead pair in the Sriram Raghavan directorial. However, did you know that Saif Ali Khan was keen to play the character Vijay Sethupathi has essayed in the upcoming film?

Sriram Raghavan REVEALS Saif Ali Khan wanted to play Vijay Sethupathi’s role in Merry Christmas; says, “He was a little upset that I told him no”

Raghavan himself revealed that Saif Ali Khan had approached him before Vijay was cast in the film. At an event, held by PinkVilla, Sriram candidly said, “What happened is that I had met Katrina, casually after Andhadhun and we were discussing of doing something. And I had this story and as I began, I said, 'Okay. She will be fab in this. Who's the guy?' Then I went through the usual set; our whole lot. I was trying to compare.”

He further added, “Either they (Katrina Kaif and the other actor in question) have done something. And I wanted a very unique kind of pairing because that's the story requirement. One should not get baggage from either of them that, ‘What are these two people about’, and so on.”

Later, Katrina Kaif, who was also present at the event, insisted Raghavan to reveal the name of the actor who wanted to be a part of Merry Christmas. On her request, the filmmaker said, "So I met Saif Ali Khan. He was a little upset that I told him no. But that time, I had not cast Vijay Sethupathi. I just said that, ‘I want something fresh. I don't know what I am looking for.’”

For the unversed, Saif and Katrina had earlier shared screen space in two Bollywood films, Race and Phantom.

As the conversation progressed further, the Badlapur director shared his thoughts on Katrina and Vijay’s pair. He said, “I thought that this is very interesting, and this odd-ball combination will make people curious. And I myself was curious. With any regular pairing, I could sort of imagine a certain movie. Here, I did not know it myself. So, the excitement was there.”

Speaking of the film, Merry Christmas hits theatres on January 12, 2024. It boasts a stellar cast including Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, and Radhika Apte.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sriram Raghavan talks about Merry Christmas; revealed that he was amused by the Santa Claus reference for Vijay Sethupathi in Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan; adds “The Santa in Jawan and this Santa are different”