Ragini MMS 2 Review

When Ragini MMS was released back in 2011, the general population did not know about Sunny Leone. Since then, her popularity has blown up and she has appeared in a handful of erotic thrillers. Now, she teams up with another bold independent woman Ekta Kapoor to make the sequel of the surprise 2011 hit film. Ragini MMS 2 has been billed and promoted as India’s first Horrex film (the word that you apparently get when you combine horror with sex). So does it deliver on the billing and are the scary elements enough to make scare the daylights out of you in a theatre nearby? Let’s dissect.

Story: Ragini MMS 2 picks up where the first part ends. In Ragini MMS, we find out that Ragini has landed up in a mental asylum and her boyfriend dies. And their leaked sex video also creates a scandal. In this part we see a film director Rocks (Parvin Dabas) who decides to make a film on the famous scandal and casts Sunny (Sunny Leone) to reprise the role of Ragini. The story then meanders forward as we see Sunny getting possessed and various crew members start getting eliminated. Divya Dutta playing a US-returned medical psychiatrist finally dispenses the supernatural by mumbling the same old Hindu mantras in the climax.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbzgyYEGOkA

Screenplay and Direction: Director Bhushan Patel who directed the sequel of another horror hit 1920, is asked to helm this project for Ekta’s Balaji. What is it with Balaji Productions making so many horror flicks – Ragini MMS, Ek Thi Daayan and Ragini MMS 2? Moving forward, the director borrows heavily from western booby traps to scare the audience by resorting to elements like foggy environments, spooky background score involving screaming and moaning, decapitated makeup and etc. Unfortunately, all the borrowing leads to a messy screenplay and the film never quite develops beyond its potential. What’s even more bothersome is the director is happy to copy western horror elements but in the climax resorts to the same old Desi bhoot dispensation methods! It all feels a little hypocritical. Barring two or three scary scenes, Ragini MMS 2 is low on the truly scary factor but the erotic factor should quench the thirst of the viewers.

A horror film truly works when the technical aspects of the film match the mood and atmospherics required. The background score, the costume and art design, the makeup all have to be in perfect sync with each other. Here however, except for the background score nothing quite makes a mark. The makeup design looks tacky and amateurish. The costume designer only intends to titillate the audience’s erotic sensations and hence doesn’t have much to do in the ‘designing’ aspect of the costumes.

Music: Ragini MMS 2 does not become a total trainwreck because of the two chartbuster songs – Baby Doll and Char Bottle Vodka. Both of these songs have become big hits and are somewhat seamlessly fit in the movie. If you were not already, you’d be addicted to Baby Doll after watching the film. It will be a guilty pleasure for anyone who listens to the song.

Acting: Ragini MMS 2 has some reputable actors in the cast other than Sunny Leone. But as expected most of the focus is on Sunny. She has gotten better in emoting since we last saw her on screen. But she has a long way to go before we can even call her an average actor. Sandhya Mridul does well and is cast against her image. Divya Dutta plays a confusing character and goes through the procedure without causing much damage. Parvin is strictly alright even though it is highly unexpected of him to do a film like Ragini MMS 2.

Conclusion: Ragini MMS 2 largely disappoints on the scary front as is a hotchpotch copying job of Hollywood horror hits of recent times. If you want to be scared, go watch those genuinely scary flicks instead. If you want eroticism, you know where to go. Skip Ragini MMS 2 and save the world from the third part of the franchise being made.

Box Office: Ragini MMS 2, due to the good promotion and hit music will open above average and will have fair weekend numbers which will make the film a profitable venture for Balaji. But it can’t be expected to be a major grosser.

Positives:

• Goodwill from the first part
• Hit music and fantastic songs
• Background score is scary

Negatives:

• Lacks genuinely scary moments
• The makeup and art direction seems amateurish and cliched
• The acting is below par
• Tests your patience and endurance limits

Rating: