Merry Christmas starts on a slow note, making one wonder if it’s worth a watch. But soon, things fall into place. The first half is used to build-up and all of a sudden, it goes on a high. A lot of amusing and thrilling moments take place in the second half which will make viewers look forward to what happens next. The finale is unexpected. Yet, since it comes from Sriram Raghavan, one does feel a bit underwhelmed as it doesn’t reach the level of Andhadhun or Badlapur or Johnny Gaddaar. Vijay Sethupathi, as expected, rocks the show. He also gets to mouth the best dialogues and is apt for the role. Katrina Kaif, too, puts her best foot forward and delivers a strong performance. Sanjay Kapoor is entertaining while Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan and Ashwini Kalsekar leave a mark despite limited screen time. Tinnu Anand is fine; child actor Pari Maheshwari Sharma is cute. Radhika Apte and Luke Kenny do well in cameo appearances. All in all, Merry Christmas is an edge-of-the-seat thriller and is definitely worth watching.
My rating – *** ½ out of 5!