Serpentine twists and turns. Nail-biting suspense and tension-filled moments that keep you on edge. A masterstroke finale... Director SriramRaghavan delivers an out-of-the-box, absorbing tale that teases your mind, besides keeping you engaged and entertained. MerryChristmas could've done with faster pacing and slight trimming for an enhanced impact... Also, this film depends entirely on a strong word of mouth, so don't expect fireworks at the BO on arrival.

In the coming days, one word that's sure to be associated with Merry Christmas is 'slow burn'. In the past few years, we, as an audience, have become so accustomed to a fast-paced narrative that anything remotely unhurried feels like it's demanding a lot from us. In Merry Christmas, Sriram Raghavan takes his own sweet time to tell the tale of a woman in an unhappy marriage and a man with a mysterious past while also making sure that his characters have abundant time to breathe, talk, and even go for a walk around town.

On the whole, MERRY CHRISTMAS is a well-made thriller and is laced with a fine performance by Vijay Sethupathi. At the box office, it'll need a strong word of mouth to succeed as it appeals only to the multiplex audience in the urban areas.