Ragini MMS

Last updated

Ragini MMS
Ragini MMS Film Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Pavan Kirpalani
Screenplay byPawan Kirpalani
Vaspar Dandiwala
Story byPawan Kirpalani
Produced by Ekta Kapoor
Shobha Kapoor
Amit Kapoor
Sidhartha M. Jain
Starring Rajkummar Rao
Kainaz Motivala
CinematographyTribhuvan Babu Sadineni
Edited byPooja Ladha Surti
Music byShamir Tandon
S D Burman
Bappi Lahri
Faizan Hussain
Agnel Roman
Distributed byALT Entertainment
Balaji Motion Pictures
iRock Films
ZEE5
Release date
  • 13 May 2011 (2011-05-13)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹13 million (US$160,000) [1]
Box office₹90 million (US$1.1 million)

Ragini MMS is a 2011 Indian found footage horror film directed by Ashal Qureshi and produced by AQ production. It was released on 13 May 2011 (Friday the 13th). [2] The film is inspired by the 2007 American supernatural horror film Paranormal Activity [3] and is partly based on the real story of a girl from Delhi named Deepika. [4]

Contents

Plot

The whole film is shot as a homemade movie, starting with Uday arriving at Ragini's home. After asking Uday where they are heading and getting no response, Ragini's friend Pia gets upset and wants Uday to leave their house immediately. Uday pays no heed to her, wakes Ragini up from her sleep, and tells her to get ready for their weekend getaway. They then travel to Uday's 'house' – a mysterious abandoned building at a deserted location. Ragini's mom calls her to ask her whereabouts, but Ragini lies and hangs up.

It is revealed that Uday is involved in the hideous business of making and selling sex tapes of innocent girls. This time the victim is Ragini, who thinks that he loves her, when in reality he is misusing her trust to make money. They try to have sex, but are interrupted by Pia and her boyfriend Vishal visiting them. Furious by their visit, Uday tells Ragini to get rid of them, but they end up staying for a while.

Vishal asks Uday for the way to the bathroom and Uday tells him. Seeing that the corridor leading to the bathroom is dark, Vishal tells Uday that a woman previously lived in the house, who was called a witch by her family. The family killed her, following which her spirit murdered them and has since been haunting the house. Uday laughs at this story and walks away. Vishal hesitantly makes his way back to the living room but senses someone behind him. He finds a door, opens it, and goes through.

Someone knocks on the main door. When Uday opens, Vishal stumbles in with a wound on his neck. Sensing that something is wrong with the house, Pia and Vishal leave in a hurry. Afterwards, Uday turns on the cameras without informing Ragini and handcuffs her to the bed. They are about to have sex but Uday is pulled away by his hair and is scratched on his neck. He checks the whole house, during which the door which Vishal had gone through opens inexplicably. However, Uday closes it and leaves, but the door opens again.

Now afraid, Uday checks the room and house thoroughly but finds no one. They hear some strange sounds and Uday says in Marathi, "I am not a witch". He again goes out to check the source of the noise. He returns in a strange, frightened condition and is blood-stained. Ragini immediately asks Uday to release her, but he is scared and unable to think. While searching for the keys, Uday accidentally reveals the camera he was using to film them having sex, to which Ragini reacts with terror, shock and anger.

Uday tries to unlock Ragini's handcuffs with other items but suddenly he becomes paranoid. He picks up a pointed object, stabs himself in the neck, and dies. Terrified, Ragini screams for help but no one hears her. She tries to search for the keys herself, but in vain. She tries to break the bed post, but fails. The whole night and the next day passes before Ragini finds a piece of glass, cuts her hand, and uses the blood as a lubricant to break free.

Once free, she tries to escape from the house, but the doors keep closing on her. She screams for help, alerting some passersby, who are however unable to help her because the doors are locked and the windows barred. Ragini is pulled into the same closet where she finds a dead body. Somehow, she makes a run for the car. Upon finding it, she sees Vishal's dead body within the car. She breaks open the car's window and pulls Vishal's body out, but is unable to start the car. She again runs through the jungle and hides in a spot where she finds Pia's body. Eventually the spirit pulls her by her hair back into the house.

The spirit hangs Ragini to a wall for many days. The film ends in a way that is left for interpretation. In the end, a man finds Ragini unconscious and she had to undergo psychiatric treatment for 10 months. The story is open ended and acts as a warning for naive girls to be extra cautious when dealing with shady people.

Cast

Production

The film was originally titled Raginni MMS but a numerologist advised Ekta Kapoor to change it to Ragini MMS. The film took only 25 days to shoot. A total of six cameras were used to shoot the film including a Canon 7D, an Arri Alexa and a Handycam. The size of the total footage shot was around 2.5 terabytes. [5] [6] The movie was released on VCD and DVD. The Satellite distribution rights were given to Hindi general entertainment channel Sahara One. [7]

Release

The film had a midnight première on 13 May 2011 in Pune. [8] The film opened to a very good response in its first week, grossing ₹ 77.5 million. [9] It was steady during its second week and grossed ₹ 99.4 million at the end of its second week. The film recovered its cost within two days of release.

Reception

Upon release, the film met with mixed reviews.

Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave it 4/5 stars and called it a "creepy, spine-chilling date movie" saying, "Ragini MMS amalgamates components of horror, paranormal and sex seamlessly. It titillates, it petrifies, but most importantly, it tells you a story which is daunting, imaginative and unconventional." [10] Naresh Deoshi from Apunka Choice also gave the film 4/5 stars calling it "a damn scary film!" [11]

Ankur Pathak from Rediff.com gave the film 3.5/5 stars and said "Ekta Kapoor's new film is terrifyingly real, and immensely watchable for the cold fright it inspires. She must be lauded for relying on young actors, and believing in the risky attempt of largely untouched storytelling." [12]

Nikhat Kazmi from the Times of India gave the film 3.5/5 stars as well. She said "...Ragini MMS makes a heady cocktail of sex and horror that's so very different from run-of-the-mill Bollywood." [13]

Shubha Shetty-Saha gave the film a good review of 3/5 and said "some scenes were so scary, that I actually wanted to run out of the theatre." [14]

Mayank Shekhar from the Hindustan Times gave the film 2/5 stars, [15] while Pankaj Sabnani from Glamsham gave the film an average review of 2.5/5 saying "Ragini MMS isn't worth 'circulating', if you have a large appetite for horror." [16]

Aniruddha Guha from DNA gave the film 2/5 saying, "Watch Ragini MMS only if you dig cheap thrills. But don't worry about losing sleep thereafter." [17]

Awards

Best Searchlight Film – Ekta Kapoor

Soundtrack

Ragini MMS
Soundtrack album
Released19 April 2011 (2011-04-19)
Genre Film soundtrack
Label Saregama

The music is composed by S. D. Burman, Shamir Tandon, Faizan Hussain, Agnel Roman, and Bappi Lahiri. The soundtrack for the film was released on 19 April 2011. It consists of only four songs, including the hit song "Raat Akeli Hai" from the 1967 film, Jewel Thief. Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1 is also heard in pieces in this film.

Track listing

No.TitleMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Itne Kareeb Aao"Shamir Tandon Raaj J. Konwar 3:55
2."Raat Akeli Hai" S. D. Burman Asha Bhosle 5:17
3."Ragini"Faizan Hussain, Agnel Roman Faizan Hussain, Agnel Roman 3:27
4."You Are My Chicken Fry" (Remix) Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri, Shweta Shetty 4:07

Sequel

A sequel to the movie, Ragini MMS 2 was made and released on 21 March 2014. Continuing the story, the sequel focused on a film crew who went back to the haunted house to shoot a film on the infamous Ragini MMS scandal. It was directed by Bhusan Patel.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunny Leone</span> Canadian-American former pornographic actress (born 1981)

Karenjit "Karen" Kaur Vohra, known by her stage name Sunny Leone, is an actress, model, and former pornographic actress. She was born in Canada to an Indian Sikh family and holds dual Canadian and American citizenship. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003, was a contract performer for Vivid Entertainment, and was named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kareena Kapoor Khan</span> Indian actress (born 1980)

Kareena Kapoor Khan is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas—Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Awards, and is one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ekta Kapoor</span> Indian producer and director (born 1975)

Ekta Kapoor is an Indian television producer, film producer and director who works in Hindi cinema and soap opera. She is the joint managing director and creative head of Balaji Telefilms Limited, which was founded in 1994. In 2001, Balaji Motion Pictures was launched as a subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is a film production and distribution company. She launched ALT Balaji in April 2017.

<i>Wake Up Sid</i> 2009 film by Ayan Mukerji

Wake Up Sid is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar under Dharma Productions, with UTV Motion Pictures as distributor and visual effects contributed by the Prime Focus Group. Set in contemporary Mumbai, the film tells the story of a careless rich college brat, Siddharth Mehra who is taught the value of owning up to responsibility by Aisha Bannerjee, an aspiring writer from Kolkata.

<i>I Hate Luv Storys</i> 2010 film by Punit Malhotra

I Hate Luv Storys is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Punit Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and Ronnie Screwvala's UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor. It was shot in Mumbai and Queenstown, New Zealand. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vishal–Shekhar with lyrics penned by Anvita Dutt Guptan, Kumaar and Vishal himself.

<i>Hawa</i> (2003 film) 2003 Indian film

Hawa is a 2003 Hindi horror film starring Tabu. The film was an unofficial remake of the 1983 American horror film The Entity which starred Barbara Hershey. Hawa was later dubbed into Telugu as Naa Intlo Oka Roju and then in Tamil as Raja Leelai. This was Hansika Motwani's on-screen debut as a child artist.

<i>Love Sex Aur Dhokha</i> 2010 film by Dibakar Banerjee

Love Sex Aur Dhokha is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language anthology found footage drama film directed by Dibakar Banerjee and written by Banerjee and Kanu Behl. Jointly produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor and Priya Sreedharan under the banner of ALT Entertainment, the film stars mostly newcomers including Anshuman Jha, Nushrat Bharucha, Rajkummar Rao, Neha Chauhan, Amit Sial, Herry Tangri and Ashish Sharma. It has three separate but interlinked stories about an honour killing, an MMS scandal and sting operations.

<i>Love U...Mr. Kalakaar!</i> 2011 Indian film

Love U...Mr. Kalakaar! is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film. The film is directed by debutant S. Manasvi, who is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. It is the first film in which Tusshar Kapoor and Amrita Rao appear together. It was released on 13 May 2011.

<i>404</i> (film) 2011 Indian psychological thriller film

404 is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film directed by Prawaal Raman and Written by Prawal Raman and Gunjan Joshi. It stars Imaad Shah, Nishikant Kamat, Rajvvir Aroraa, Tisca Chopra and Satish Kaushik in the lead roles. It is produced by Imagik Media Private Ltd. and was released in theaters on May 20, 2011. The movie follows a medical college student who shifts to the college hostel's room 404 where a previous medical student had committed suicide and the paranormal delusions that he begins having since then.

<i>The Dirty Picture</i> 2011 film by Milan Luthria

The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language biographical musical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, an Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The filmmakers have clarified that the story is not officially or literally based on Smitha alone, but on many of her contemporaries such as Disco Shanti. It also resembles the personal lives of other women in popular culture, including actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. The film was directed by Milan Luthria and co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, after Ekta came up with the idea and asked screenwriter Rajat Aroraa to pen a story based on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kainaz Motivala</span> Indian actress

Kainaz Motivala is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Her acting career started with a small role in Wake Up Sid as Tanya in 2009. She was signed for the role Shailey in the 2010 Bollywood film Paathshala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaji Motion Pictures</span> Indian film studio

Balaji Motion Pictures is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. It's based in Mumbai, and it produces and distributes Hindi films. The chairman of the company is former Bollywood actor Jeetendra Kapoor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanika Kapoor</span> Indian singer

Kanika Kapoor is an Indian singer. She was born and raised in Lucknow. In 2012, she relocated to Mumbai to become a singer. Kapoor's first song "Jugni Ji" (2012) was for a music video–which became a commercial success. In 2014, she began her Bollywood playback singing career with the song "Baby Doll" for the film Ragini MMS 2. Upon its release, the song topped the music charts and Kapoor received wide critical acclaim and several accolades for her singing style, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

<i>Ragini MMS 2</i> 2014 Indian film

Ragini MMS 2 is a 2014 Indian erotic horror thriller film directed by Bhushan Patel and co-produced by Jayasinh Gupta and Sunil Maurya Pradhaan under Balaji Motion Pictures and ALT Entertainment. The movie is the sequel to the 2011 horror movie Ragini MMS. Ragini MMS 2 features Sunny Leone and Saahil Prem in lead roles in a continuation of the plot from the prequel. Unlike the first film, the movie is not shot in a found footage format. The film received an A certificate.The film was a major commercial success, being declared a hit at the box office, and catapulted Sunny into the general public conscious in India as a mainstream actress.

<i>Main Tera Hero</i> 2014 film directed by David Dhawan

Main Tera Hero is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under the Balaji Motion Pictures banner. It is a remake of the 2011 Telugu film Kandireega. The film stars Nargis Fakhri, Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz. Principal photography for the movie began on 30 May 2013, filming started on 5 July 2013 and was completed by 15 October. The film released on 4 April 2014 to mixed reviews from critics, though it became a box office success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radhika Madan</span> Indian actress (born 1995)

Radhika Madan is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films and formerly in Hindi television. She started her acting career with Colors TV's Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi (2014–2016) and made her film debut with Vishal Bhardwaj's drama Pataakha in 2018, for which she won the Screen Award for Best Female Debut. She is a recipient of several awards including a Filmfare OTT Award and three Filmfare Awards nominations.

<i>Mastizaade</i> 2016 film by Milap Zaveri

Mastizaade is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language adult comedy film, directed by Milap Milan Zaveri and produced by Pritish Nandy and Rangita Nandy. The film stars Sunny Leone in a dual role alongside Tushar Kapoor and Vir Das in lead roles with Shaad Randhawa, Suresh Menon, Vandita Shrivastava and Vivek Vaswani in supporting roles while Ritesh Deshmukh appeared in a cameo. The film was released worldwide on 29 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Doll (Kanika Kapoor song)</span> 2014 song by Kanika Kapoor and Meet Bros from Ragini MMS 2

"Baby Doll" is a Punjabi song by Indian Bollywood playback singer Kanika Kapoor for the Bollywood movie Ragini MMS 2. On the cover, the lead actress of the film, Sunny Leone, is pictured. For this song, Kanika Kapoor won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Ragini MMS is an Indian erotic-horror franchise of films and Web series created by Balaji Motion Pictures and ALT Entertainment. The two films of this series were released in 2011 and 2014 respectively. A web series, Ragini MMS: Returns, premiered on ALT Balaji on 19 October 2017. The second season of the web series Premiered on 18 December 2019 on ALT Balaji & Zee5 apps.

<i>Ragini MMS: Returns</i> Alt Balaji Erotic-Horror Series

Ragini MMS: Returns is an Indian found footage erotic horror web series produced under ALTBalaji. The series is the third installment of Ragini MMS Franchise.

References

  1. ↑ "Ragini MMS to release on Friday the 13th". The Times of India . 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Ragini MMS : Complete Cast and Crew details". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Ekta's Ragini MMS inspired from Paranormal activity – Hindustan Times Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Ragini MMS : Story of Deepika". Times of India. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Ragini MMS: Bollywood's First Film in a six-cam set-up!". 25 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ekta Kapoor changes spelling of Raginni MMS to Ragini MMS". Business of Cinema. 18 January 2011.
  7. ↑ "Sahara buys satellite rights of 100 films". m.timesofindia. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ekta Kapoor plans midnight premiere for Ragini MMS". Bollywood Hungama . 29 March 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Ragini MMS Week One Territorial Breakdown". Box Office India. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Ragini MMS : Movie Review by Taran Adarsh". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  11. ↑ Deoshi, Naresh. "The Ragini MMS Review – A damn scary film! | Kainaz Motivala". ApunKaChoice.com. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "Review: Ragini MMS is terrifyingly real – Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  13. ↑ Nikhat Kazmi (12 May 2011). "Ragini MMS movie review". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  14. ↑ "Ragini MMS – Film review". Mid-Day. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  15. ↑ "Mayank Shekhar's review: Ragini MMS". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  16. ↑ "Movie Review : Ragini MMS". Glamsham.com. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  17. ↑ "Ragini MMS is wannabe, and gimmicky – Entertainment – DNA". Daily News and Analysis. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.