Ragini MMS

To begin with, I am a little disappointed with Ragini MMS in terms of originality. The film has a little resemblance with paranormal activity (as it was seen in movie trailer).However makers have added the Desi spices to the movie by some Indianized dialogues (or say abuses) and strong story and sub-plots.

The genre of the movie is a winner itself.The combination of sex and horror (which was used indirectly in Bhatt's movies is the stream line here). Intentions of the film makers are very clear here.Just two elements horror and sex, no melodrama or Bollywood masala.

Rajpal is very influential on screen.His screen presence and comic timing is bang on!Kainaz has improved a lot after her bubbly role in Wake Up Sid.Explicit scenes are done comfortably by the lead and their chemistry is extra ordinary.

Story is straight without any twists and turns.Screenplay is tight and tangling.Dialouges are surprisingly fresh,witty and sultry.The dialogues (and slang) gives a good flavor to the horror movie.

Background score is a mile stone for horror movies considering the fact that high pitched digital sound and scorching guitars are used for score in an Indian horror movie.

Minus some originality and faulty editing, the movie is the scariest date movie of India till date.

'Ragini MMS' may not be flawless, but it sure is Spooky! It has enough of spine-chilling moments to earn itself a viewing.

'Ragini MMS' Synopsis: Out to relax & have fun at a farmhouse, a couple experience horror at the hands of an unknown entity.

'Ragini MMS' is shot well, giving it a documentary type feeling. And while the first-hour focuses more on sleaze, its the second-hour that turns nightmarish. At a crisp 90-Minutes, this horror flick leaves much an impact.

Pawan Kripalani & Vaspar Dandiwala's Screenplay has a few loose ends, particularly in its first-hour, but goes full throttle in the second-hour. Kripalani's Direction, on the other-hand, is eerie. Cinematography is good. Editing is crisp.

Performance-Wise: Kainaz Motivala is brilliant as Ragini. She enacts the tormented/haunted protagonist with remarkable commitment. Rajkummar Rao is impressive, as always.

On the whole, 'Ragini MMS' is a worthy horror flick.

Although not as impressive as the 'Blair Witch Project' or 'Paranormal Activity' (most of the horror elements have been borrowed from these movies), Ragini MMS still delivers 90 minutes of entertainment. The sexual theme will keep the viewer mildly amused at the beginning and then gradually introduce the scares of the movie. The CGI will not leave you stunned but you definitely won't take your eyes off the screen. Good performances by both the stars and decent direction. This popcorn-flick could have been done much better. Don't watch this movie if you want to be on the edge of you seat because this movie is a little off that mark but it does give a good competition to the rest of the horror flicks in Hindi cinema. Might scare you or may make you hysterical but it will be fun nonetheless.

Enjoy it in the dark.

6/10

"Horrifying", if it has to be defined in just one word.

For me, Ragini MMS delivered far more than what it promised. The class and the execution of the horror sequences were far more intriguing that I had ever imagined. The fact that impressed me the most is that even though, primarily you get the feeling that it might be a movie with just sensual scenes and not so many significantly petrifying moments, it actually left its mark on me for the direction of the horrifying scenes and the quality of performances by the two actors. The movie revolves around a couple who set out to the outskirts of Mumbai for a weekend getaway. But as the reel rolls & the movie unfolds, it turns into a nightmare for the two as they encounter a lot of paranormal activities happening around & realize that the house they are staying in is haunted. Probably, as the movie was shot as if in real life, you connect to the horrendous events and the situations fashioned more closely and feel to be a part of the whole idea even more.

The movie does give the inkling that it has been inspired by Paranormal Activity but apart from being shot as if in real life, the movie is fresh and presents unnerving scenes and goosebumps all the way. Raj Kumar Yadav is definitely here to stay and Kainaz Motiwala was impeccable in justifying her character. I sincerely recommend this one to Vikram Bhatt and expect that he would probably learn a thing or two and would not dole out movies like Haunted 3D again. And if he is too dim-witted to understand what a horror movie is then maybe it is time he hangs up his director shoes for the good of all humanity. Applause to the whole team of Ragini MMS as they have surely provided a benchmark against which all future Bollywood horror movies must be evaluated.

"Ragini MMS" made on a shoe-string budget coupled with the efforts of PR machinery to manufacture topics at regular intervals leading to talk of the town, and eventually resulting in a steep ROI curve.

Fans of "Blair Witch Project" & "Paranomal Activity" would certainly not be impressed with a plot that has been tweaked to incorporate the voyeuristic element of MMS/ Big Boss thereby nearly missing being stamped as a plagiarised product.

The script matches up nicely with the characters. The lead actors Kainaz & Raj Kumar I am sure would get noticed for their convincing and inhibited performance. Undoubtedly Rajkumar is a scene-stealer, you will instantly connect this sleazy "t**** master". The two "fly-in-the- ointment" to the dirty weekend characters could have been done away with.

The scares and chills are not impressive. Or probably the Big Boss format forces constraints to deliver the punch. The screenplay is good though dips for a while in the second half. Technically the product is brilliant. Pawan Kriplani shows immense promise holding directorial reigns. Sadly the sum of parts don't measure up to the whole.