In a recent revelation, Bollywood star Katrina Kaif opened up about her enriching experience working in the Tamil film “Merry Christmas” under the direction of Sriram Raghavan, alongside renowned actor Vijay Sethupathi. The film marked Kaif’s debut in the Tamil film industry, and she expressed both reward and challenge in the process.

Reflecting on her character Maria in the movie, Katrina shared insights into the unique working style of director Sriram Raghavan. Contrary to a conventional approach, Raghavan, according to Kaif, doesn’t spoon-feed his actors. Instead, he encourages them to delve deep into their characters and express their genuine emotions in a given scene.

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“He is going to make you tell him what you feel in the scene and how will the character react to the situations that she is in. He makes you search for honesty,” Katrina explained. This approach, while intense, proved to be both rewarding and challenging for the actress. She emphasized that the process was not just about performing scripted lines but involved a profound exploration of the character’s emotions and reactions.

One particular scene between Katrina Kaif’s character and Vijay Sethupathi’s character stood out, and Sriram Raghavan insisted on rigorous rehearsals. Kaif revealed, “After doing it the first time, I asked him when we were going to shoot the sequence, and he simply told me when the time was right. We rehearsed that scene every day until he knew that everyone was perfectly in sync, and that’s when he shot it.”

The actress acknowledged that the intense rehearsal process was a crucial element in bringing authenticity to the film. Moreover, it became an opportunity for her, as an actor, to engage in continuous discovery and learn new techniques about the craft. “Working on Merry Christmas was extremely rewarding and challenging at the same time. It was such an intense process, but a wonderful one,” she expressed.

Katrina Kaif’s words provide a glimpse into the meticulous and thoughtful approach Sriram Raghavan employs in his directorial style, fostering a collaborative and immersive experience for the actors. As “Merry Christmas” unfolds, audiences can anticipate a film that not only entertains but also delves into the authenticity and complexity of its characters.