Sriram Raghavan's 'Merry Christmas' | A tender thriller

Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Merry Christmas’ | A tender thriller

Q. How did you find the French novel Le Monte-charge from which Merry Christmas is adapted?

Earlier, I’d spend Sunday mornings walking through the streets of Churchgate and Fort [in Mumbai] and buy books off footpaths and eventually see a film. That practice is gone as the culture has. Now, I buy books online. What I liked about this was that it’s a very tender story but about crime. It was nice to break away from the twist-turn format of Andhadhun.

Q. Vijay Sethupathi has drawn acclaim for his performance in the film. What is it about him as a performer that establishes a connection with audiences?

He goes by the moniker Makkal Selvan, which translates to People’s Treasure. He is one-on-one and down-to-earth with everybody he meets. He’s curious about people and lives. So there’s an immediate connect.

Q. One senses there’s been a change of perception of you since Andhadhun. Is it easier to get actors now?

The other day my vegetable seller said you seem familiar and asked “Kya karte hain [what do you do)]?” It’s not easy to get actors for odd stories but, yes, I do get occasional calls and texts from them. It’s good to know that XYZ is there if I want to reach out [for a part].

Q. Cinephiles keep revisiting your films and trying to decipher them, like in the case of Ek Hasina Thi. There’s also the label of desi Hitchcock.

There’s too much hyperbole. I should not believe everything that’s written about me. Most of it comes from people who want to become filmmakers. When I was getting into filmmaking in the late 1990s, I’d look up to Ramu [Ram Gopal Varma]. He was our God.

Q. You make films that are true to your sensibilities. How do you marry that to commercial success?

Conventional logic would be that after Andhadun, I could get a bigger star. I’m not thinking like let’s write something for them. For them, too, it is difficult to reconcile and do something that’s totally different and doesn’t guarantee returns. I am not here to expand an empire. It has to be an interesting story that works for me.

Q. Tell us about your next, Ikkis.

It’s the story of the martyr Arun Khetarpal, to be played by Agastya Nanda. It has been delayed a few times but [getting to work with] Dharamji [Dharmendra] again after Johnny Gaddaar was one reason why I wanted to do it. I knew he’d be a perfect fit. It was also an adventure to do a new genre. I’m trying to remove the stress of budgets and production. I saw Oppenheimer and thought, what a wonderful way of structuring a tale. With Ikkis, there’s so much information and research and the challenge has been how to bring it all together.