Ragini MMS – 2 Review {4/5} & Review Rating
Welcome back to the world of chills and thrills, sex and scares! The makers of RAGINI MMS [2011] are all set to unleash the second installment in its franchise -- RAGINI MMS-2. A number of movies -- with a heady cocktail of sex and horror -- have made it to cineplexes in the intervening period, thus raising the bar for similar-genre movies. However, RAGINI MMS-2 is being peddled as 'Horrex' -- a combo of horror and sex. Naturally, it's imperative that the second chapter outdoes the first part in terms of plot, characters, skin show and most importantly, cold shivers.
Director Bhushan Patel employs the customary horror tropes considered indispensable -- secluded mansion, creaking doors, eerie environ, foggy evenings/nights -- after having mastered the art in 1920: EVIL RETURNS. Now throw a spirit that's thirsting to tell her backstory, sprinkle howling voiceovers, opt for state of the art effects, garnish it with foot-tapping songs and last but not the least, cast the alluring Sunny Leone... voila, the recipe to lure and entice moviegoers appears well orchestrated. The question is, does Bhushan get the formula right? Will RAGINI MMS-2 give the much-required fillip to the genre and the franchise?
Let's talk of the premise first! RAGINI MMS-2 takes off from where RAGINI MMS concluded. Ragini [Kainaz Motivala] and Uday [Rajkummar Rao] set out on a dirty weekend at a friend's isolated farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai. Apparently, the house is haunted and worse, Uday has fixed cameras at strategic points to capture the love-making process. But the plans go astray... Uday is killed, Ragini is admitted to a psychiatric hospital and the MMS footage goes viral.
The scandal catches the attention of a film-maker [Parvin Dabas], who plans to make a film on this outrageous story. He casts an actress [Sunny Leone] to portray the part of Ragini. The unit heads to the secluded villa where the MMS scandal transpired...
In the current scenario, horror movies rely completely on atmospherics and sound design to send a shudder down your vertebrae, unlike the days of yore when skeletons/skulls and mutilated dead bodies would be paraded to startle and scare the viewer. Bhushan seems to have rehearsed the craft, incorporating ingredients that compliment a spooky fare with bloodcurdling episodes. The story is one-dimensional, no doubt, but the writers encompass ample macabre moments that promise chills and scares. Also, Sunny's skin show heats up the proceedings.
RAGINI MMS-2 writers [Suhani Kanwar, Tanveer Bookwala] borrow from the horror erotica of the West, but show flair and imagination, besides packing ample jump-in-your-seat jolts in the narrative. Having said that, although the influence is evident, the sequence of events are *not* cliche-ridden at all. Besides, it's difficult to guess which character will get bumped off and how. Additionally, the sequences leading to the scary finale are truly riveting.
Bhushan ensures he wastes no time is establishing the conflict between the living and the supernatural. The sequences involving the spirit are truly petrifying, while the sound design -- so important in a film like this -- has also been worked upon cautiously. Additionally, the film packs in erotica in generous doses. The skin show and smooches [including the much-talked-about kiss between Sunny and Sandhya Mridul] are not in short supply. Sunny goes all out this time and the hoi polloi/front-benchers are gonna love her.
The DoP captures the mood well [there are no tilted camera angles or tight close-ups, thank you], while the lighting in the night sequences augments the eerie environ. The film boasts of two groovy tracks -- 'Baby Doll' and 'Chaar Bottle Vodka' -- which have been punctuated seamlessly in the 2-hour film. The background score is super.
In view of the fact that RAGINI MMS-2 stars Sunny Leone as the protagonist, it gives its makers enough reasons to showcase her curves, which she flaunts uninhibitedly. Sunny carries off her character with supreme confidence, going that extra mile to look the character. It's difficult to keep your eyes off the pretty lady. The director opts for a bunch of talented names to lend sufficient support and the ones who stand out include Karan Mehra [excellent], Divya Dutta [first-rate] and Sandhya Mridul [too good]. The talented Anita Hasanandani gets limited scope this time. Parvin Dabas is faultless as the flamboyant film-maker, while new-find Saahil Prem makes a confident debut.
On the whole, RAGINI MMS-2 has ample scares, a generous dose of skin show, a winning soundtrack and of course, a sensuous Sunny Leone to spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S. This second helping is much more scrumptious and delicious than the first. Go, get spooked!
