Review: Decorated with sleaze and bland horror `Ragini MMS 2` is hardly scary

Cast: Sunny Leone, Parvin Dabas, Sandhya Mridul, Divya Dutta, Karan Mehra.

Director: Bhushan Patel.

Rating:**

There is no denying the fact that sex and sleaze are two such relevant condiments of cine-biz which can make even a poppycock kind of cine idea secure a decent opening at BO. And this fact is once again proved by the kind of response which Sunny Leone starrer Ragini MMS 2 received at its opening. Ever-since the movie went on floor its makers started clamouring that this is the first Horrex of Bollywood, and that's probably in order to fuel the curiosity of the viewers and to prove that unlike its predecessors belonging to the same ilk, concept of Ragini MMS 2 is something out of the box.

But all those who have grown up seeing Ramsay Bros' horror masterpieces and have seen last year's spooky super-hit of Hollywood "The Conjuring" will right-away discard these claims of Ekta and party.

Anyhow coming to the clumsy premise of "Ragini MMS 2", the movie advances from where its prequel Ragini MMS concluded, where a dirty weekend plan of Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) and her boyfriend Uday (Rajkumar Rao) at an isolated bungalow goes awry. And subsequently Uday gets killed and Ragini ends up being in a mental asylum. 

This time with Ragini MMS 2, the tale rolls ahead where this entire inexplicable incident grabs the attention of a cine director Rocks (Pravin Dabas) who decides to cash upon the potency of Ragini MMS mystery and opts to paint it on celluloid. And in order to fulfil his hankering he ropes in Sunny (Sunny Leone) to portray the character of Ragini and Satya (Saahil Prem) to write the screenplay of his ambitious project. And what turns nightmarish for this pervert sort of a director and his entire crew is former's decision of shooting his movie in that same haunted and isolated villa where the actual incident took place. And yeah there's another story running parallel to this main plot where a New York returned psychiatrist Dr Meera Dutta ( Divya Dutta) is trying to decode the mystery behind Ragini's mental state and Ragini MMS scandal. 

There is no denying the fact that when Ragini MMS made it to celluloid in 2011 it offered a very genuine dose of spooky entertainment to the viewers, but as far as storyline of its sequel is concerned then this time creators of the story Suhani Kanwar and Tanveer Bookwala have religiously kept themselves detached from novelty and didn't interject even a pinch of innovativeness to create an alluring cine narrative.

In fact it won't be wrong to say that from inception till culmination the writer duo looked totally possessed by the "Jetkin" (witch) of doing "Parrot Job", where they generously borrowed the premise from Hollywood super hits like The Conjuring and Blair Witch 2. Although Suhani and Tanveer tried to blend all the , necessary flavours like sleaze, eroticism, horror and toilet humour required for making a, "Horrex" but unfortunately this effort of their looks so half hearted that entire premise of Ragini MMS 2 ends up being a parody of a sort where even spookiest moment looks hilarious and coated with shoddiness. 


What further adds to the rotten luck of the narration is asymmetrical distribution of all the relevant condiments. First half with a sound dose of erotica and double entendre looks more focused towards satiating the carnal fantasies of those watching. Whereas in the second half toilet humour gets replaced by horror, in nut shell storyline of, Ragini MMS 2 is about everything weird under this sky, except horror.

And if we talk about dialogues, then after seeing Ishita Moitra penning some marvellous rhetoric gems for the movies like Mere Dad Ki Maruti, it's quite disappointing to see this magnificent magician of words dish out something thoroughly below her level. Dabbled in the treacle of double entender even the dialogues of Ragini MMS 2 seem to be thoroughly disproportionate. 

In screenplay department Suhani and Tanveer have once again failed miserably in covering up the flaws of their writing. Be it pace of narration or the length of the movie, everything seems to be done with intent of reaching the mark of almost two hours run-time. While being in director's chair Bhushan Patel has also failed in recreating the magic which Pawan Kriplani's (director of Ragini MMS) which latter created with his cine saga. Besides in the absence of so many must haves even the cinematography and editing of Naren Gedia and Tushar Shivan respectively seems to be a humdrum affair. 

Decorated with magnificently peppy songs like Baby Doll and Chaar Bottal Vodka the music of the Ragin MMS 2 is a perfect Gen X delight. 


Well as far as performances are concerned then, there is no denying the fact that after badly flunking in proving her acting competence with Jism 2 and Jackpot, this time Sunny has work really hard on her acting as well as dancing skills. Unlike her previous cine stints where she looked more of like a mannequin this time Sunny quite conveniently succeeds in donning the expressiveness pertaining to her character and with those improvised acting skills she looks simply lovable. Sahil Prem as struggling writer is just OK. 

Pravin Dabas as a sort of pervert director is alright, whereas talent like Sandhya Mridul remains totally underutilised or rather wasted due limited screen presence and dull script. In a stereotypical role this time again Divya Dutta seems to be doing what we have often seen her doing and once again she does it with brilliance. 

To sum up, with a balderdash script and lacking everything which this self proclaimed first Horrex of Bollywood claimed in the past, Ragini MMS 2 completely fails in giving you any horripilation, spooky entertainment or carnal pleasure. And after spending your hard earned money and valuable time in watching this monotonous kind of cine cantata you are only left with compunction about doing so. Hence keeping in view all the bland desserts which Ragini MMS 2 has in its offering salver, I am going ahead with two stars.

Movie Review: With `Dishkiyaoon` Harman Makes An Arresting Comeback

Starring: Sunny Deol, Harman Baweja, Ayesha Khanna, Prashant Narayanan, Aditya Chopra

Directed by Sanamjit Talwar

Rating :**

Cheek mate! Papa says to his little boy, "Be Gandhian". Boy turns the other cheek to a bully in school. Bully slaps our young hero again. Boy visits neighbourhood gangster Tony Mota(so called because, we are informed, he is discernibly fat in some part of his body, giggle giggle) and asks for a solution.

"Hit him back," says Mota Tony, and instantly endears himself to the child-hero who grows up to be Harman Baweja. Quite a stroke of luck for the burdened script. Harman brings to the narrative a residue of angst that serves the plot well. He plays a gangster who suffers constantly.

So, for that matter, do we., though for different reasons. Debutant director Sanamjit Talwar unnecessarily complicates the gangster flick with layer after layer of characterization . Sinister characters desperately in need to bathe, keep popping up and popping off for no other reason except to remind us that the world of Mumbai's gangsterism has not changed much from the time when Ram Gopal Varma made Satya.

But while in Satya we genuinely cared for the sanguinary characters here in Dishkiyaoon we are too tired of the trigger-happy marauders to give a flying f..k about whether they live or die. The dark menacing characters all look like carryovers from Varma's Satya and Company trying hard to shield their jadedness in a revved up revivified swagger which only helps to accentuate their frozen renewability.

The characters' hands remain soaked in the same blood as Satya , no matter how hard the script tries to cover their bloodied track with streaks of cosmetic conceit. Try as it might the narration's worn-out edges stick out of the sleekly-designed format. The film is very stylishly packaged with some ear-catching background music(Amar Mohile) and cinematography(Axel Fischer) that fuses colour and black-and-white in a hide 'n' seek with time.

Sad to say the impressive colour scheme lacks clarity consistence and logic....Much like the film which rambles on about the relationship between crime and comeuppance but doesn't offer us one reason to believe that these characters deserve our attention. What redeem the film's inherently fagged-out storytelling are the actors. Prashant Naraynan as Harman's mentor , Sumeet Nijhawan as a crime-lord who doesn't use a gun and specially Anand Tiwari as a hot-headed goon, turn in implosive performances that ignite the frames when the director is taken up with intensifying the layering process.

Sunny Deol's Haryanvi accent is as distracting as Harman's moustache. But the young actor has returned to the screen with the language of languidity lending an aura of urgent doom to the goings-on. Newcomer Ayesha Khanna has a brief but effective part as the guitar-playing musician who wonders if she and the world around her would ever be compatible.

Watching Dishkiyaaoon we are faced by the same dilemma. While we warm up to the film's performances and its intelligent take on gangsterism, the constant barrage of slaying and screaming leaves us cold.

Movie Review: `Main Tera Hero` is a total `Paisa Vasool` cine chronicle

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Anupam Kher, Arunoday Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Saurabh Shukla

Direction: David Dhawan

Eras come and go in Bollywood and it is widely seen that every era is governed by one or the other kind of movie making. But "masala entertainer` is one such ilk of cine crafting, which had never lost its charm, neither among the cine artisans nor among the cine enthusiasts.

Be it the era of 90s or the decade which has just gone by. In every decade masala entertainers have made a mark for themselves and at the same time have bestowed some of our ace leading man with an opportunity of exhibiting their acting talent with utmost prowess.

But in the recent times we witnessed the inclination of some of our cine wizards towards making content driven movies, but in spite of that the art of making masala movies never lost its lustre among those who are adroit enough in crafting an exceptional cine offering despite having a "common or garden" kind of script in their hand.

And undoubtedly `maestro of masala movies`, David Dhawan is one such cine conjurer of Bollywood who has got that magic wand, with which he can effortlessly create a quaint visual delight for the viewers.

In the recent past numerous cine-whiz tried to garner the legacy of this evergreen ilk by casting some of the glittering stars of showbiz, but unfortunately none of them succeeded in doing a thorough justice to the genre. And movies like `Besharam`, `Phata Poster Nikla Hero` and even the `R Rajkumar` failed miserably in extracting the expected response from the audience. But this time it's the masala movies' maestro David Dhawan who for the first time teamed up with his son Varun to recapture the apex throne of his fiefdom.

David has got a signature style of movie making from which he seldom prefer to part. Be it about dishing out something totally innovative, or working on the remakes Dhawan never forgets to maintain a sort of uniformity in his creation with his stamp all over the end product. So is the case with just released `Main Tera Hero`.

Although `Main Tera Hero` is the remake of southern superhit "Kandireega", but in spite of that it has a winsome fragrance of David-ian style of filmography. At the power of which Dhawan introduced the masses to an altogether different side of actors like Govinda, Salman, and Sanjay Dutt in the past. 

Anyhow, coming to the premise of "Main Tera Hero", the movie narrates the story of "happy go lucky yet bad in studies", Srinath Prasad aka Seenu ( Varun Dhawan) who after receiving an emotional bashing from his father (Manoj Pahwa), of course because of his 'bad in studies status', land in a Bangalore based college to prove his worth. 

As soon as he arrives in the college he has a rendezvous with Sunaian (Ileana D'Cruz) and falls head over heel for her. But unfortunate for Seenu, there is another stalking rowdy cop Angad Negi ( Arunoday Singh) who is behind Sunaina and want to marry her at any cost. 


With the frames rolling ahead our very trickster, Seenu takes up the gauntlet of Angad of winning Sunaina's heart and subsequently succeeds in doing it too. But things literally get toppled for him when a Bangkok based mafia lord, Vikrant Sighal (Anupam Kher) kidnaps Sunaina because of his daughter Ayesha's (Nargis Fakhri) fascination for Seenu.

So what happens next does Seenu succeeds in bringing back Sunaina, or ends up sacrificing his feelings to save her. To know watch this mindless yet entertaining cine delight from the factory of David Dhawan. 

Be it any decade of David's cine career, his cine offerings have always made it to cine arena with an unsaid and unwritten disclaimer that "leave your brains at home" if you really want to enjoy the flick. So seems to be the case with "Main Tera Hero".

Some may find that plot of `Main Tera Hero` is too flimsy to be tagged as something out of the box, but it is that prevailing simplicity in the narration which does the miracle. And on top of it, it's the scribing dexterity of Tushar Hiranandani who in spite of re-tailoring the storyline for a remake, has succeeded in keeping the USP, i.e. humour, alive. 

Garnished with quick witted, Tom and Jerry kind of humour blended with Govinda styled comic timing and that too sans gaucherie, undoubtedly plot of `Main Tera Hero` leaves no space for yawns and ennui. Besides, it's the guileless yet hilarious dialogues of Milap Zaveri which further adds to the magnificence of the movie. 


Even while tackling the screenplay realm Hirannandani has adroitly managed to put the right things at right places in order to keep the viewers' gazes glued to the big screen. And from inception till culmination flow of the narration seems to be rolling like a slickly flowing stream. In addition to it 

But yeah the presence of so many positives doesn't mean that `Main Tera Hero` is just about goodies. Just like any other cine offering of its ilk, this one too has certain short comings. Like induction of a serious twist just before the half time in a somewhat jocular manner. Moreover, contrary to first half, the post interval part gets a bit sluggish where a few of the overstretched sequences may stupefy the viewers. But keeping in view the overall value of entertainment these minor flaws can be overlooked. 

As far as music is concerned then decorated with some of bouncy and invigorating aural delights like `Palat` and `Shanivaar Raati` the music of Sajid Wajid is indeed cheerful and foot thumping. In addition to it the "Govinda cum MJ" styled choreography of Remo and Bosco Martis further adds to the visual value of songs.


Before going ahead with performance analysis, I would like to make a special mention of the fact that, one should not take this thing for granted that because of `Main Tera Hero` being David Dhawan's cine venture Varun's bound to get the limelight. And that's because by his performance the young lad has proved that `Main Tera Hero` in totality belongs to him only. Throughout his performance span Varun has so effortlessly amalgamates the spectrum of acting attributes that you don't feel like taking your eyes off him. And probably if `Main Tera Hero` would have been his debut flick, then certainly this marvellous performer would have raced miles ahead of his contemporaries. 

After her last cine outing `Barfi` this Ileana too has succeeded in putting her best foot forward and looks like a more seasoned actress than her previous cine stint. On the other another leading lady of the movie, Nargis has once again done nothing different and up till some extent fails in leaving any long lasting impact. Arunoday is strictly OK in both of his character types where he plays a rowdy cop on one side whereas a stooge of a sort in other. 


After being part of some of the miserable cine flicks in the recent past, Anupam Kher once again returned to his form with a bang. Saurabh Shukla too plays his part with utmost prowess. As far as supporting cast is concerned then Evelyn Sharma, Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Shukla are apt in their respective roles. Besides, unnecessarily obtruded Shakti Kapoor (who plays Johny in the movie) is totally surplus and wasted.

To sum up, despite having a somewhat mediocre kind of script, but decorated with an over the top humour and stupendous performance of Varun Dhawan `Main Tera Hero` is a kind of entertainment whiz-bang for which the viewers were longing after seeing the masala disasters like "R Rajkumar", "Besharam" and "Phata Poster Nikla Hero". So for this must watch PAISA VASOOL kind of cine delight, with a half star extra for Varun's performance, I am going ahead with 3 out of five stars.

OMG! Madhuri Dixit Panty Expose During Promotions

Sunny Leone Huge Bosoms Poping Up From Her Top

Sunny not allowed visiting Indore for film promotion

Ragini MMS2's promotion has hit a road block. The local government officials refused to allow entry of Sunny Leone into the city.

Sunny Leone was barred entry in Indore, where she was scheduled to visit a mall, as part of the promotions of her upcoming film. It is that a political party (actually, a Hindu radical group) warned the owners of the mall that they would resort to violence if the former adult star set foot there.

The sources at Balaji Telefilms refused to comment on the issue. However, one hears from locals in Indore that hotel bookings for the crew, who was to travel with Sunny, have been put on hold temporarily. As for the mall, she was due to visit, well; they have categorically refused to allow her to enter their premises for promotion.

`Bajirao Mastani` to have bald Ranveer?

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani, planned years ago, with Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai, is back in the news for its casting drama. With no formal announcement forth coming, it is being heard that it is yet to be decided who will be the hero and heroine

Interestingly, the four names being tossed around-Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan and Ranveer Singh-have all worked with Bhansali. But it has been learnt that currently the frontrunner is Ranveer who was recently seen as Ram in Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela.

Says a source close to the development, "Sanjay has been in talks with Ranveer and unless there's some last-minute hitch, it's almost certain that he'll be playing Bajirao." The source adds that the actor who eventually bags this much-coveted role will have to commit almost a year exclusively to the project. "Ten months for the shoot and a month for promotions. And Sanjay wants his hero to shave off his hair, except for a little choti or shikha (braid) that pundits sport on their bald pates. This would mean that the actor will have to clear his calendar before taking up the project."

According to the source, Ranveer has loved the script and is trying to finish off with the films he is working on by the year end. If all goes well, 2015 will be devoted to Bhansali and Bajirao.

There is a possibility that his Mastani will be Deepika Padukone. When contacted, Ranveer's spokesperson confirmed the news saying, "Yes, he is in advance talks for the role."