Sriram Raghavan reveals why he said NO to Saif Ali Khan for Vijay Sethupathi’s role in Merry Christmas

Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi are all set to be seen together in Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas. The stars are busy promoting the movie. Speaking of that, in a recent interview, director Sriram Raghavan revealed that there was another actor who wanted to play Vijay Sethupathi’s role in Merry Christmas. Adding to that, he also revealed the reason he said no to him.

Saif Ali Khan wanted to play Vijay Sethupathi’s role in Merry Christmas

Speaking with Pinkvilla, Sriram revealed, “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 asked who he was talking about, Sriram revealed that it was Saif Ali Khan who wanted to be a part of Merry Christmas. The director revealed, “Yes, I can tell you. 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.”

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Here’s how Vijay came onboard

When asked how Vijay came onboard, Sriram shared that it was during his trip to Melbourne for a film festival, where he met the actor after seeing 96, and asked whether he could speak in Hindi. The actor said yes and that’s how things happened.

Vijay and Katrina will be seen sharing screen space together for the first time. The trailer of Merry Christmas was released a few days ago, and it received a good response. The romantic thriller is slated to release in theatres on January 12, 2024. For the uninitiated, Merry Christmas will clash with Deepika Padukone starrer Kalki 2898 AD at the box office.

Watch Merry Christmas trailer:

Also Read: Koffee With Karan 8: Saif Ali Khan opens up about his separation with Amrita Singh, reveals Sharmila Tagore had cried after he married the actress

Mamta Naik

Content Writer