'Merry Christmas': Sriram Raghavan reveals he turned down Saif Ali Khan for the lead role; here's why

Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer 'Merry Christmas' is all set to hit the theatres on January 12. Ahead of its release, director Sriram Raghavan has revealed that he said no to Saif Ali Khan for Vijay's role opposite Katrina. He said that he wanted a unique kind of pairing because that's the story's requirement.

Speaking to Pinkvilla, Sriram said, ‘I wanted a very unique kind of a pairing because that's the story's requirement. One should not get any baggage from either of them. So I had met another actor who had liked the role also, but then I told him sorry.’

When Katrina Kaif, who was sitting beside Sriram during the interview, interrupted him and asked who the actor was. Sriram replied, ‘It was Saif Ali Khan! So I had met up and he was actually a little upset when I told him no. That time, I had not cast Vijay. I was just saying no because I wanted something fresh, I don't know what I am looking for.’

Saif Ali Khan worked with Sriram in ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ (2004) and ‘Agent Vinod’ (2012).

Sriram then added that it was during his trip to Melbourne for a film festival when he met Vijay after seeing ‘96’, and asked whether he could speak in Hindi. He said yes and that resulted in an 'oddball' combination of actors in the film.

The trailer of ‘Merry Christmas’ was released a few days ago and it has piqued the curiosity of many. Although not much about the film is disclosed, it seems like a signature Sriram Raghavan directorial, packed with suspense, dark comedy, and many twists.

‘Merry Christmas’ is shot in two languages, with different supporting actors. The Hindi version also features Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, and Tinnu Anand. On the other hand, the Tamil version stars Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kevin Jay Babu, and Rajesh Williams in the same roles.

It is produced by Ramesh Taurani, Sanjay Routray, Jaya Taurani and Kewal Garg.

Also Watch | Tom Smothers, half of American comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86