Saif Ali Khan was ‘upset’ when Sriram Raghavan told him that he’d changed his mind about casting him in Merry Christmas: ‘I want to clarify…’

Sriram Raghavan had to tell Saif Ali Khan that he'd changed his mind about casting him in Merry Christmas, after initially approaching him with the role.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | January 6, 2024 01:11 PM IST

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan said that he didn't reject Saif Ali Khan. (Photo: Varinder Chawla/Instagram/kareenakapoorkhan)

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan’s upcoming film, Merry Christmas, stars the unlikely pair Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. However, the filmmaker had earlier considered Saif Ali Khan for the lead role, but while working on the script, he discovered that Saif wouldn’t be right for the part. The filmmaker clarified his earlier comments about the subject, which he said were misconstrued to suggest that he’d rejected Saif for the role.

During an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Sriram said, “Actually, I had this story for about three years. I met Katrina and she said lets do something. Then, after Andhadhun, I decided to go ahead with it. Initially, when I was looking at it, I was looking at a Hindi film, no Tamil version and all. I was thinking of Saif because I have worked with him in a couple of movies earlier. So, I thought it might be interesting. I met him and he liked the subject, he liked it very much.”

Indian Express Entertainment is now on WhatsApp Channels. Follow us for the latest news, interviews, reviews, photos and more.

The filmmaker, who has worked with Saif in Ek Hasina Thi and Agent Vinod, further explained, “So, when I was fleshing it out, I felt that something wasn’t feeling right, something was bothering me. Then I met Ramesh ji (producer Ramesh Taurani) and I said what I felt, and he said, ‘Ok, let’s go and tell him’.”

Also Read | Sriram Raghavan on making Hindi and Tamil versions of Katrina Kaif-Vijay Sethupathi’s Merry Christmas: ‘I’ll not do this again because…’

The filmmaker admitted that Saif wasn’t happy about the change of heart. “When you go and tell an actor who had initially said that he loved it and then tell him no… It’s not that I had anyone else in mind. I want to clarify that I didn’t reject him. I sort of went and met him and he was upset,” said the filmmaker.

In earlier interview with Pinkvilla, Sriram had revealed that he wanted a fresh pairing, and Saif and Katrina had worked together before. He said, “At that time, I had not cast Vijay. I was just saying I want something fresh. I don’t know what I’m looking for”

Merry Christmas is all set to release on January 12 in Hindi and Tamil.

From the homepage