The first reviews of Merry Christmas, directed by Sriram Raghavan, are out. A special screening of the film was organized for some journalists and close people in the industry. After watching the film, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan was the first to talk about the film on his Instagram. He praised the film for the stunning performances of the lead actors and also for the thrilling screenplay written by Sriram Raghavan.

Merry Christmas First Reviews OUT!

Vignesh Shivan praised the film highly and wrote, "Absolutely awestruck by the outstanding performances from @actorvijaysethupathi and @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, and the last 30 minutes are just too good! Enjoy it in theaters from January 12th! I am totally proud of you, Makkal Selvan. Vijay Sethupathi! You just held it all together with effortless ease."

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Along with that, trade analyst Sathish Kumar watched the film and called it a vintage thriller with interesting scenes in a police station in the second half. Coming after Raghavan's Andhadhun, Merry Christmas is among the most-awaited films of 2024. It stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles.

Read more: 4 Sriram Raghavan Movies To Watch Before Katrina Kaif-Vijay Sethupathi Starrer Merry Christmas

The film is shot simultaneously in two languages: Hindi and Tamil. The major difference between the two versions is the supporting actors, who are different for the Hindi version and the Tamil version. Along with that, it is also speculated that the film's ending is designed differently for the Tamil and Hindi versions, keeping in mind the sensibilities of the respective audiences.

There are others as well who saw the film and liked it for what it is. A user on Twitter wrote, "#Merry Christmas is a slow-burning mystery drama that takes its own time to setup, builds to a crescendo, and then pays off in the final act. The last 15 minutes are the film, but for it to work, you need to invest in the first 1.5 hours. You might wonder where this is all leading to, but only in the final act do you get to know Sriram Raghavan was holding all the cards till the end."

Another user observed, "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 releases in theaters on January 12, 2024.