The Birth of Ragini: From a ‘True Incident’ to a Cinematic Protagonist
Ragini MMS surfaced in 2011 within a context where substantiated pieces of footage in a movie and paranormal horror genre movie were a thing of a moment. While many found them rather uninspired, it was a different story with Ragini MMS as its proposed selling ‘movie in a picture’ was more ‘true’ than ‘fiction.’. A girl, known only as Deepika, was in the subtropics with a boyfriend when she reported encountering something bizarre one evening. She feels uneasy and begins to believe that she is under the vigilant gaze of an unidentified observer. A farmhouse and a video camera with its eyepiece twisted in an odd direction completes the story .
This imagining of the Ragini MMS was merely a seed. She was not only a shrieking tropic girl. She was also the film protagonist. Her moral collapse through terror and despair is simply an apex of the arc of her character. She begins as an innocent, but as the movie advances, she metamorphoses into a Ragini who is anxious and dark. The story opens with Ragini as a South Bombay school graduate and a first year college schooled girl and head over heals in love.
The Shadows of Kainaz Motivala: Ragini and the Fear of Her Presence
Ragini MMS was the ‘featuring film’ debut of Kainaz Motivala and she had attended quite the plethora of bouts prior to this at which she had starred in films like Wake up Sid and appeared in Paathshala for smaller roles, none of which were tailored to fit the sheer blanket of fragility and terror that Ragini is enveloped in. Motivala’s plunge was taken after Kainaz had sculpted herself through the workshops for an entire month’s time geared towards this portion. No, these were not mere rehearsals and Kainaz and her peers transcended the very fabric of shadows to implement drills which required people to explore the very depths from which primal fear is harvested, that is regardless of whether anything unexplained is at hand. Along with her peers, Kainaz was made to watch the Shining series of films, the activities that are practically the day’s fabric and the Blair Witch trilogy, in an effort to fashion up a wardrobe that reeked of terror nomads, the stockings filled to the brim with tension and electricity. Motivala is said to have filled multiple blades of an audition folder and on the very first day she was issued a character description and she was bounded by a structure of two situational outlines. This was the premise and from this Kainaz shifted improvisation layers until her final sculpt was positioned on the stage. Thus she reigned the trophy of the portrayal.
What bothered her the most were the close range shots of the filming. Having to adjust to another actor and getting to know them was difficult and she was anxious especially knowing she had to do this with Rajkummar Rao. Rao had to position himself within the range of close distant shots. This had to be difficult but Rao achieved this. Rao had to do this position with a close range Ikegami camera in front of a beam splitter for multi-camera filming. During this time of filming, only a few people from the other crew were present as a kind gesture.
Ragini’s Arc: From Sweet Innocence to Haunted Survivor.
Emotionally, the arc of Ragini is a horror’s backbone with an additional twist of sentiment.
The Beginning: We see Ragini as the delicate and gentle woman in love. One had to empathize with the girl who was ready for a relaxing weekend to forget her regular activities.
Inciting Incident: The presence of hidden cameras was the first sign of danger, after which shadows and indicative paranormal activities started showing. The first layer of fear being the most prevalent always she begins to trust others less.
Climax: The level of danger elevates and she is no longer passive. the change is not to be grand but rather provoked by sheer fighting instinct or survival. The violation she suffers is disallowed on both physical and emotional level, as her entire being is exposed.
Ragini is scarred but transformed and the naive lover no longer. The film leaves behind so much unanswered.
Ragini is a scream queen now but also the embodiment of fear of betrayal, exposure and survival. This has added to and solidified the iconic status that she’s gained over the years.
Motivala never met Deepika, only received a construct of pieces of information. Only parts of the document and most of Ragini were fictionalized and motivated by the life of Deepika. This quote, ‘inspired by’, is why there was never a reality to the phrase, Deepika Padukone is Deepika motivated.
The audience was shown only a small part of Deepika’s life that was framed in the movie. This part of Deepika Padukone’s life was covered extensively and designed for the film.
Exhbit Ragini. The audience was also able to notice and sympathize with the heavy emotions and feeling of betrayal. Like most young women, Ragini was relatable.
Ragini used to be a victim of exposure but now the tables have turned. The film incorporated strong elements of horror, and with that, the entire nation of India was able to see the struggles of privacy and the exposed reputation.
The critics were polar opposites. Some highlighted the palpable tension of the film and the stunning performance by Kainaz, particularly the striking interpretations of fear and shame. Other reviewers accused the film of excessive reliance on sensuality. Nevertheless, audiences were captivated by the character of Ragini, which stayed with her long after the credits had rolled.
Backstage Ghosts and Eerie Events
The workshop stage lasted for a whole month and was very grueling. Motivala remembers the “fear improvisation” session, which put actors in semi awkward scenarios in an attempt to evoke physical fear.
The farmhouse was particularly eerie. Portions of the structure sent a chill down the spine of the crew and the cast. There were strange, bizarre incidents Motivala herself claimed to have woken up in a dream like state after the shoot.
She had to endure the grueling auditions. She had to endure mentally crafted fear scenes, on the spot vulnerability and scenario devoid reactions. These sessions were not only cenred on acting. They were really about mental structures.
The Beauty and the Beast of Celebrity
After the film, Motivala was suddenly tagged as ‘bold’ and the offers started with the hate, which was mostly centered on intimate scenes or horror. She did not want to be a one film wonder and so she took on completely different roles. Such as in Challo Driver, which had Motivala portraying a strong willed, educated chauffeur which had nothing to do with the sensual horror genre.
She had trouble reconciling the fame from Ragini MMS with her aspiration to be more eclectic and complex. The public discourse certainly did not help; the media seemed to equate her with the real-life Ragini and the label bold completely eclipsed her artistry. She did voice her unease and said she didn’t want to be slotted like a comic book superhero.
Why Ragini Still Haunts
Ragini is still one of the very few Indian horror characters who continues to be remembered not just for her jump scares. She is the combination of the horror of the loss of one’s privacy, the terror of being spied on, the embarrassment of being exposed and the strength to overcome.
Motivala Kainaz was ‘Ragini’ for an actress under the strain of being slotted, the unease of bold media content, and the inescapable gaze of the cameras. Her personal conflicts and the movie’s primal intensity made Ragini not just a screen character but also a cultural remnant that still disturbs even after the movie finishes.
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