'Merry Christmas': Was Saif Ali Khan confirmed for lead role? Here's how Vijay Sethupathi replaced him

Director Sriram Raghavan talked about telling Saif Ali Khan that he had changed his mind about casting him in 'Merry Christmas' after considering him previously. In an interview, the filmmaker stated that Saif was understandably unhappy, but the most he could do at the time was to assure Saif that he would do his best to make amends. Sriram ultimately cast Vijay Sethupathi as the film's male lead, opposite Katrina Kaif.

Sriram on replacing Saif Ali Khan with Vijay Sethupathi

The director mentioned that he adored Saif as an actor and wanted to cast him despite their previous collaboration 2004 film 'Ek Hasina Thi' did not do well at the box office. Saif's schedule was free when I was preparing for 'Merry Christmas', so he figured he'd be entertaining. "I went to meet him; he liked the story and said, 'Great, let's do it'. And then I began fleshing it out." said Sriram.

"When I was fleshing it out, I had the sudden realization that the story required an X-factor that a conventional coupling would not provide. Saif and Katrina had worked on several films together. So I went to my producer and told him, "I think I made a mistake, and I don't think it's working out." He answered, 'You best go and tell him immediately'.

Also read: Vijay Sethupathi reveals being body-shamed for his casual dressing, wearing slippers for film events

When Sriram talked to Saif about the replacement

Sriram admitted that he was worried about his encounter with Saif. "How will you go tell him? "When you last met, he hugged you and everything. He wasn't the problem. I could have done the film with him, but something wasn't connecting while writing it. It was a difficult thing to tell him. He was naturally pissed off. I stated, "Someday, I hope to make up..."

'Merry Christmas'

'Merry Christmas' will be released in two versions in theaters on Friday, January 12, 2023. Sriram first filmed the Hindi version, and then, primarily to save money, he shot a companion version in Tamil with a slightly different cast and other changes.