The Secret Santa

“ it is Christmas, and what have you done?" - John Lennon

So I recently went to watch a movie with my friends, and the film began, with the aforementioned words by John Lennon.

These words had immediately piqued my interest and I’m glad to say I wasn’t wrong.

I knew that this movie was going to be a murder mystery and plot twists were to be expected owing to the the fact that it’s been directed by none other than Sriram Raghavan, but this movie had me literally on the edge of my seat throughout its duration, with me trying my best to channel Nancy Drew or Hercule Poirot or even Sherlock Holmes. 

This isn’t exactly a review of the movie, but more of me ranting on how I absolutely loved every minute of it. I’ve tried my level best not to include any spoilers, but if there are any at all, I'm terribly sorry.

The movie is titled” Merry Christmas “ and it takes place on Christmas Eve night. The movie opens with a scene where two people, are shown to be using a mixer grinder with only their hands visible on camera. Mind you if you ever decide to watch the movie, just remember that this scene explains a lot of the story later on. The scene ends and we are now treated to a glorious backdrop of “Mumbai, when it was called Bombay” placing the movie’s timeline somewhere in the 1980s. You quickly realise that it’s Christmas Eve as the city is lit up with Christmas lights and Christmas trees everywhere. We are then introduced to our titular characters Albert, a ruggedly charismatic guy who’s back in town after seven years and Maria, a beautiful young woman, mother to a six year old girl, Annie. What follows is a very entertaining sequence of the characters meeting each other, there’s dancing drinking and flirting, all owing to the Christmas spirit, but you quickly realise that there’s more to both of them than meets the eye. Both of them have an extremely enigmatic personality and their dynamic and chemistry is successfully explored throughout the movie. What comes next is an absolutely thrilling adventure park ride, every scene packed with lies, deception, flirtation, thrill and murder. In that order. 

Everything the movie is trying to say, all the answers are right in front of you, you just need to look in the right place. Watching this movie felt like sitting on a roller coaster for the first time, or reading an Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew novel. In fact a lot of parallels have been drawn throughout the movie to murder mystery novels, including one by Raymond Chandler. 

The setting of the movie, perfectly complements its dark, ominous theme. The dulcet red and green tones of Maria’s apartment, her little red dress, Annie’s teddy bear, the metaphor of the caged bird on the Christmas tree, every small thing contributes immensely to the movie’s charm. The background score, including violin crescendos, fabulous guitar pieces and even old Hindi songs like “pyaar ke mod pe” and “ jab andhera aayega” greatly set the tone of the film. The whole Bombay after dark vibe is excellently portrayed in the film making you think, you know, “shayad Bombay aisa tha uss time pe” The shooting has been done in the fort area of Bombay, which takes you back to the past, even today.

In fact the whole movie feels like a historical literature lesson, in which you can clearly see the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and finally, cliffhanger all fall into place beautifully. In fact, it attempts to explain the intricacies of human behaviour using comedy as a medium. It has extensive layers of storytelling and too many disruptive sequences which urge you to pay attention to each and every scene. Like Sherlock Holmes used to say, “pay attention to the details” it’s fascinating how intricately the plot has been woven and it’s lying there waiting for you to dissect it.

What I really enjoyed about the movie, was that it proved me wrong at all steps. It didn’t give me what I wanted at all, and I felt like it was playing with my intellect, like “ Oh, you thought that happened? Well, think again”

I was so engrossed in predicting the outcome of every action, that I forgot that appearances can be deceptive and nothing really is as it seems. In fact me and my friends argued and discussed quite a lot after the movie was over, and I’m still thinking about this movie even now. 

One line that stuck with me was Albert very nonchalantly saying “ sometimes violence is better than sacrifice” and it made me think, who justifies whether things are right or wrong? Who decides the punishment meted out to them? Is revenge a crime? Is an eye for an eye ever justified? How strange is it for two strangers to completely share their life’s secrets?

I guess we’ll never know. 

Anyway, I really recommend this movie to anyone who has a passion for art, storytelling and pure suspense. 

May we never know what’s coming next. 

May the lights hide the darkness. 

Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.