Sriram Raghavan is the director of the 2024 Indian mystery thriller Merry Christmas, which stars Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif. Both Tamil and Hindi versions were filmed concurrently. Under the banners of Tips Films and Matchbox Pictures, Ramesh Taurani, Jaya Taurani, Sanjay Routray, and Kewal Garg produce the movie. Le Monte-charge (Bird in a Cage), a French novel by Frédéric Dard, served as its inspiration.

December 2021 saw the official announcement of the movie. Principal photography began that same month in Mumbai and proceeded intermittently to Uttar Pradesh, then resumed in the previous site. It was completed by mid-January 2023. Madhu Neelakandan handled the film’s photography, Pooja Ladha Surti handled its editing, and Pritam composed the soundtrack.

When Albert Arogiasamy returns home after a seven-year absence, his neighbor uncle welcomes him and tells him about his mother’s recent death in Bombay in the 1980s. Albert was unavailable, so uncle had to plan the funeral in his absence. Uncle gives him a bottle of his own homemade wine, which he has christened “Yadhoom.” On Christmas Eve, Albert visits a bar/restaurant where he meets a stranger who was supposed to go on a date with Maria, a stunning woman. When the stranger notices Maria with her silent child, Annie, he cancels it and asks Albert to inform Maria that he has to go for urgent work.

In response, Albert informs Maria of the circumstances and departs the eatery. He reconnects with Maria and Annie when he happens to run into them again in a movie theater when they’re watching The Adventures of Pinocchio. Maria extends an invitation to him to spend Christmas Eve at her flat. While Maria explains that she owns a bakery underneath her house, Albert introduces himself as an architect who recently returned from Dubai. Albert has a “bird in a cage” toy that he bought earlier that night and drapes it on her Christmas tree at home. Maria takes Annie to bed and offers him whisky while turning on loud music.

She then makes a comeback to sip wine, and the two of them dance. As they get to know one another, Maria opens up to Jerome—who was once her boyfriend’s buddy but has since turned abusive—about the problems in her marriage. Albert also discusses Rosie, the wife of his boss, with whom he fell in love and went on an elopement to Goa seven years prior. Sadly, Rosie chose to return to her husband, but she has since passed away. After that, they decide to go for a walk, and Maria sends a note to her husband, expressing her possibility of returning at any time. When their neighbor uncle notices them, Albert extends an invitation to her to visit his flat after they decide to show one other their favorite places in the city.

Merry Christmas opened in theaters on January 12, 2024, to enthusiastic reviews following multiple postponements. Kaif and Sethupathi’s performances were particularly praised.