Ragini MMS

As an out of the routine review of this latest inspired project from a reputed production house, I would like to proceed giving you an idea of how RAGINI MMS may have been conceived a few months back.

A Queen producer of the small screen after moving into film production, tastes a marginal success in one of her low budget projects, called LSD – LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA, majorly shot on hand held camera. Taking an idea from that, she thinks of making another movie on the similar lines to be made in a few months time. Now, while her team is looking out for a plot to be selected, someone informs them about an Instant Hit movie in the West made on a shoe string budget with a horror plot called "PARANAORMAL ACTIVITY". The next day itself everyone watches it, selects it and decides to write a more Indianised Script around the same theme of a haunted house and hidden cameras.

But in a few days time, the team thinks that only horror element, without any other added gimmick as shown in the Original 'PA' may not work in India. So taking a hint from their last successful project LSD, the writers decide on to bring in some Romance, Sex and Vulgarity into it which will make it more sensational and a news-making item at the time of its release. As a result, a MMS scandal scoop is added into the film along with many long smooches and bed-room scenes to bring in more viewers into the theater. Further, as in India it might be tough to terrify the viewers without any visible spirit (like in the original 'PA'), hence a vaguely visible spirit is also added into the movie, who speaks in a strange tone and also kills all the people visiting the haunted house in a bloody Ramsay manner.

After having everything in place, while shooting the pre-climax sequences, both the director and the cinematographer suddenly remember another famous low budget HIT movie of the west called "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" and get excited. So keeping the same film in mind they shoot the wandering in the woods (bamboo trees kind of forest) sequences in the end with the night vision hand held camera quite similar to as seen in TBWP.

OK, now the film is ready….and we need to promote it heavily. So with a clear marketing vision, a buzz is spread that the film is based on a real life incident faced by a girl called Ragini on whom the film is actually titled RAGINI MMS. And right before the release of the film, the girl actually comes into the news saying that this is not her story and she is being used by the producers. To make the buzz even more interesting, extremely vulgar posters are designed by the graphic designers to promote it along with the news of the film facing problems with the censors due to its unacceptable concept. And hence a perfect drama is staged to deliberately create another instant money-earner for the famous production house by fooling the audiences.

But unfortunately, this time the whole process goes in vain since the end product turns out to be pretty confused, vulgar, funny and spooky all together taking the viewer no-where in its small yet over lengthy duration of around 100 minutes. The film starts off smartly reminding you of the brilliant LSD and entertains you in its initial 20 minutes mainly because of its realistic abusive one liners. Later on though it manages to shake the viewer occasionally but on the whole, fails to give you a good entertaining time in the theater.

The first time director, Pavan Kirpalani has got the talent but loses the track mainly on his editing table and could have easily made an impact with a heavily edited version of the movie, of around only 80-85 minutes. He copies major things from the English Original, so cannot be credited with anything great. In a songless film, as it should be, the Background music is both designed and used perfectly as required by the theme. But the film mostly relies on its sexual stuff more than the horror one. In the first half it simply looks like a B grade sex movie desperately interested in exploiting the females on the screen. Raj Kumar Yadav of LSD fame, plays an extension of his precious role in LSD and he is even more cunning this time which in fact is impressive. Kainaz Motivala has a soothing presence and acts well.

However, many of the viewers who haven't seen either PARANORMAL ACTIVITY or THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT may like it to some extent. But for me, RAGINI MMS only remains a cheap kind of Indian imitation of the West, so I would rather suggest you to watch it's original if you really want to get spooked.

And here are the two things I learned about Bollywood from RAGINI MMS : 1. Firstly Bollywood can easily copy the concept of a film, but it still finds hard to stick to the concept alone and has to deliberately add SEX into it un-necessarily.

2. Secondly Bollywood still is not comfortable with a film having a duration of less than or around 90 minutes. So with its heavy obsession with the length of the movie, the writers and the directors are forced to add extra sequences into their project to make it around 2 hours.

And in both cases the victim remains the Project as well as its viewers.

"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.

'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.

It was only matter of time,before Bollywood get into the found footage genre.

Ragini MMS (2011) Hindi movie, no need for any subs, as most of the times, they speak in English!

Two couple who go to farmhouse and most of time, all they think of is having Sex.

when get into the mood, there friends come, thing start to get scary.

We see the ghost here and there, it is a shame , cause it take the tension away, however there were some scenes, that were actually surprising good.

Near the end, after some descent scenes, it loses it tension again , which makes go down hill.

This is actually Bollywood version Paranormal Activity

4 out of 10 I think worth watching for least once! (Just for laugh).