EXCLUSIVE: Ramesh Taurani explains why he decided not to release Merry Christmas amid Animal, Sam Bahaudr, Salaar, Dunki: “Ego pe jaake koi faayda nahin hota”; also reveals, “We have locked the script for Race 4”

By Fenil Seta -

November 17, 2023 - 6:00 PM IST

Sriram Raghavan has an immense fan following, thanks to his path-breaking films like Ek Hasina Thi (2014), Johnny Gaddaar (2007), Badlapur (2015) and Andhadhun (2018). Andhadhun, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte, became a huge success and got immense critical acclaim. Hence, there are a lot of expectations from Sriram’s next film, Merry Christmas. The posters of the Katrina Kaif-Vijay Sethupathi starrer have aroused curiosity. The thriller was scheduled to be released on December 15 this year. It was preponed to December 8 after Prabhas-starrer Salaar decided to clash with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki on Christmas. December 8 was also booked by Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Yodha. But it got pushed to March and hence, it seemed like Merry Christmas would enjoy a solo release. However, on Thursday, November 16, the makers announced that Merry Christmas has been pushed to January 12, 2024. It dampened the spirits of many since they felt that a film with such a title should have arrived in December.

Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Merry Christmas’s producer Ramesh Taurani to understand the reason behind the postponement. He reasoned that besides facing competition from Salaar and Dunki, their film would have also got the heat from Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal and Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sam Bahadur on December 1.

Ramesh Taurani said, “Animal, Sam Bahadur, Dunki and Salaar are very big films. Merry Christmas is a thriller, made by Sriram Raghavan. In such a situation, we would have faced a big problem in getting screens. A film is made with a lot of love, care and passion. Hence, ego pe jaake koi faayda nahin hota hai.”

When asked if Merry Christmas trailer will be out on Christmas day, that is, December 25, the veteran producer simply said, “The trailer will be out soon, in December.”

The other major movie of Tips Films that is awaiting release is Ishq Vishk 2. It stars Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan, Jibraan Khan and Naila Grewal. Ramesh Taurani, about this film, said, “We are yet to shoot a song. Once that is done, we’ll release the film in 2024.”

In March 2022, Ramesh Taurani told Bollywood Hungama exclusively that the scripting of Race 4 is going on. This time, when asked about the thriller entertainer, he told us, “We have locked the script for Race 4. Now, we’ll finalize the cast and crew.” While Race (2008) and Race 2 (2013) starred Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan was the lead in Race 3 (2018).

Also Read: Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer Merry Christmas postponed; Sriram Raghavan directorial to now release on January 12, 2024 in cinemas