The first reviews of Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif's thriller, Merry Christmas, are out and it seems filmmaker Sriram Raghavan is all set to deliver another gem after his 2018 movie, Andhadhun. Filmmaker Vignesh Shivan and few others watched the film before it hits theatres on January 12 and shared their praise for the film. Also read: Merry Christmas trailer: Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupath-starrer is a Sriram Raghavan thriller set to a Christmas carol

Vignesh Shivan praises Merry Christmas

Taking to his Instagram Stories, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan wrote, “Absolutely awestruck by the outstanding performances from @actorvijaysethupathi & @katrinakaif in this superbly written thrilling screenplay from the genius @sriram.raghavanofficial takes us back to Alfred Hitchcock times @ipritamofficial's music is another major pillar, the last 30 mins is just tooo good! Enjoy it in theatres from Jan12th! Totally proud of you Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi! You just held it all together with effortless ease."


Film trade analyst Sathish Kumar M wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “#MerryChristmas is like a Vintage Thriller film with interesting scenes in the police station in the second half and climax with #SriramRaghavan’s style.”


An X user by the name of Delusional Amphibian wrote about the film, “#Merry Christmas - A Slow burning mystery drama which takes its own time to setup, builds to a crescendo & then pays off in the final act. Last 15 minutes is the film but for it to work, you need to invest in first 1.5 hours. You might think where this is all leading to but only in the final act you get to know Sriram Raghavan was holding all the cards till the end. In the climax, with no dialogues being said (but still so much being said) VJS walks away with all the applause! Anything more would be a spoiler. Watch it without comparing it with Andhadhun.”


Another by the name of Cine Observer wrote on X, “#MerryChristmas is a slow burn thriller that moves at a gentle pace for the most part. @VijaySethuOffl looks absolutely at ease and @KatrinaKaifFB looks ravishing as ever. The story is based on a French novel. #SriramRaghavan takes his time to get to the gripping part @proyuvraaj.”


Another tweet from the handle Films and Stuffs, read: “Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif completely held and shouldered the first half of #MerryChristmas, which led to the riveting second half. Peak chemistry.”


Merry Christmas has been 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. On Wednesday, a new song Raat Akeli Hai was unveiled from the film.