Merry Christmas was one of the most challenging projects for Katrina Kaif as an artiste, the actress said during a recent Ask Me Anything session on Instagram, calling her experience of working with co-star Vijay Sethupathi, who helped her learn Tamil, “unique, unusual and very liberating”.
“Sriram sir gave me one of my toughest roles yet, he gives you tough challenges, but the outcome made me feel very proud to be a part of this film,” Katrina wrote in response to a fan’s question on the social media platform.
“Sriram sir lived and breathed every character, he has such insights,” she added.
Katrina also mentioned that the Badlapur (2015) and Andhadhun (2018) director gave the actors a chance to “explore the possibilities in every scene” during the rehearsals.
Mentioning that Vijay is “extremely comfortable in his own skin”, Katrina said that he plays his role with complete “honesty” and without any “pretence” in front of the camera.
Merry Christmas revolves around two strangers, played by Vijay and Katrina, who meet for the first time on Christmas eve. However, things turn into a nightmare once the clock strikes midnight.
In response to a fan who asked about her favourite scene in Merry Christmas, Katrina referred to the scene in the film where Vijay tells Katrina’s on-screen daughter a story to comfort her. “Every time I see it, it makes me smile so much,” the actress wrote. She also mentioned that her favourite dialogue from the film is “Love can be complex and painful”.
The actress revealed that learning to speak Tamil for the film was difficult but receiving support from Vijay throughout the process helped her immensely. Tamil artist Deepa Venkat made the process easier, she added.
For Katrina, the best reaction to Merry Christmas has come from her husband Vicky Kaushal who hugged her tightly after watching the film. “Jhappi from hubby (A hug from my husband),” Katrina wrote, alongside a picture of the couple hugging each other after a screening of the film.
Also starring Radhika Apte, Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, Ashwini Kalsekar and Tinnu Anand, Merry Christmas is currently running in cinemas.
