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Sriram Raghavan reacts to Katrina Kaif's Merry Christmas getting mixed response; 'It was the success of Andhadhun...'
During a recent interaction, Sriram Raghavan reacted to the mixed response Merry Christmas received and how Ayushmann Khurrana’s Andhadhun encouraged him to make the Katrina-Vijay Sethupathi starrer.
Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas was released earlier this year in January. The thriller film led by Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi was well-received by the audiences and earned rave reviews from the critics as well. Meanwhile, a section of viewers also found the film ‘slow’. The ace filmmaker recently talked about the film’s success and mixed reactions from the audience. He claimed that he was already prepared for it, but Ayushmann Khurrana’s Andhadhun encouraged him to make the film.
Sriram Raghavan reacts to Merry Christmas receiving mixed response
The long-anticipated Sriram Raghavan’s directorial; Merry Christmas was released in the theaters earlier this year. The buzz around the film was hands down quite high. After the release, the director stated that he was ‘far from shocked’ when cinephiles labeled Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer ‘slow’. In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, the director claimed that he knew the film would not appeal to everyone.
He further expressed his belief by stating that one learns something with every film. “Every film is just like your first film. That’s how this industry works. When it comes to my view, I try to look for some sort of variety in the kinds of subjects that I pick, even though they may all be in the thriller genre. There is a bit of variety,” he was quoted as saying.
He cited the example of his last released movie, Merry Christmas, to further explain his point by mentioning that the film was a love story with the fabrication of a thriller. “That got me excited. Some people loved it, some people found it slow, but that was something which I wanted to do," he revealed.
Sriram Raghavan says Andhadhun's success encouraged him to make Merry Christmas
In addition to this, he also elaborated on the response that Merry Christmas got at the box office. Sriram Raghavan, who is an established name in the thriller genre, reacted to the mixed response that the film received. The director asserted his belief by being fine with it and having an acceptance of it. He went on to mention how he wasn’t expecting the amount of love his National-Award-winning film, Andhadhun, received.
“It was not like Andhadhun, which got so much love from all quarters. I was not even expecting the same love that Andhadhun got. But it was the success of Andhadhun that encouraged me to do something experimental and riskier. I did know that certain people will find the film slow. But in my heart, I was hoping that the film will work on the big screen and will find its audience. That being said, it has its own value, and I am fine with the response that the film got,” he said.
During the interview, the filmmaker also talked about his views on Merry Christmas, finding his niche audience. The director, who is not hoping to have an audience for the film, later recollected memories of watching a black-and-white film with his parents. He shared that at that point in time, the film wasn’t exciting for him, but today it’s a classic film.
Owing to the availability of OTT platforms, the director believes that the films are available for the audiences to watch, and he is looking forward to seeing the reaction of the audiences to the Merry Christmas’ Tamil version.
Sriram Raghavan's next directorial
On the professional front, Sriram Raghavan’s next directorial will be the periodic drama, Ikkis. Led by megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda, the film is based on the life of Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal that will also star Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat in key roles.
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