‘Vijay Sethupathi is the class topper’: Katrina Kaif says she got ‘homework’ from Sriram Raghavan, Sethupathi didn’t | Bollywood News

Actor Katrina Kaif spoke about working with director Sriram Raghavan and co-star Vijay Sethupathi on Merry Christmas, and said that the filmmaker gave her ‘homework’ to better flesh out her character. Katrina is best known for her glamorous big-screen roles, but she occasionally forays into more dramatic territory. Merry Christmas is being seen as a rare character-driven film for her, while Sethupathi is more recognised for his quieter performances, despite occasionally appearing in big-budget entertainers.

In an interview with Film Companion, she was asked if Merry Christmas was difficult leap for her, after having played ‘morally upright’ women in most of her past films. She said, “Just because a lot of the films I’ve been a part of haven’t portrayed that, it doesn’t mean that me as a person doesn’t understand it, or doesn’t relate to it, or hasn’t experienced it. A lot of it came from discussions with Sriram sir. After our first meeting, where he narrated the film, he told me to write my own backstory for the character. He said, ‘Tell me what you think, where she came from, who she is, why she does what she does’. That process really helped me understand the world…”

Also read – Katrina Kaif says she had to google Vijay Sethupathi to ‘refresh her memory’ after he was cast in Merry Christmas: ‘I loved his salt-and-pepper look’

When Vijay was asked if he also wrote backstories, Katrina jumped in, and said with a laugh, “I don’t think he was asked to write a backstory. I think that homework was only given to me. Because he’s the class topper, no?” Vijay replied, “Only I know the pain I go through. Generally, when I hear a story, I try to understand about the character’s past life, and I ask questions.” Vijay said that he cracked the character after watching ‘Ilaiyaraaja’s masterclass in Goa’, and when he relayed his idea to Raghavan, the filmmaker supported him.

Set across one night, Merry Christmas marks Raghavan’s first feature film since 2019’s Andhadhun, which emerged as a massive critical and commercial hit, and made over Rs 450 crore worldwide. Katrina recently experienced a box office disappointment with the film Phone Bhoot, while Vijay was last seen as the villain in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan.

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