Talking about earnings, this year horror films dominated. 'Shaitaan', 'Munjya' and now 'Stree-2' have raised the flag of earnings. This is a style that has always been loved by the audience. If anyone gets the credit for starting the trend of ghost films in Hindi cinema, it is the 'Ramsey Brothers'. Films like 'Veerana', 'Do Gaj Zameen Nate', 'Purana Mandir' and 'Purani Haveli' are a testimony to this. Today in 'Reel to Real' we will highlight the process of shooting horror films, changes in filmmaking and some untold stories. For this we spoke to Deepak Ramsay, who is leading the next generation of the Ramsay family, director Soham Shah, actress Flora Saini and location manager Sanjay. Deepak Ramsey said that his uncle Kiran Ramsey often visited the graveyard and recorded the sounds. He then used those sounds in his films. First know some facts related to Ramsay Brothers films and shoots. One scene led to the idea of making horror films Deepak Ramsay told where his father and uncles got the idea of making ghost films. A Ramsay Brothers film was released titled 'Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi'. In one of the scenes of this film, Prithviraj Kapoor comes wearing a ghost mask, which scares the heroine Mumtaz. The film flopped, but the scene became a hit. Seeing the applause for this scenario, the Ramsey brothers decided to make a complete horror film. He made the film 'Do Gaj Zameen Ke Nadi' with a budget of Rs 3.5 lakh which was a super hit. A pit was dug for the shoot and a dead body was found there. Due to the low budget, the film was shot in a real graveyard. The shooting was happening at night. According to the sequence of the film, a pit had to be dug there for shooting. When the pit was dug, a dead body was found there. It has become a big issue. Shooting also had to be stopped. However, later somehow the filming was completed. When the actor got stuck inside the coffin, he was suffocating. Deepak Ramsay said that once his father and uncle were shooting for the film Juna Mandir. In that film, the character who became the devil was to be locked in a coffin. That coffin was imported from Germany. That coffin was so strong that even if it was accidentally closed, it would not open quickly. The demon-turned-artist was put into it. The assistant director did not notice and locked the coffin. It didn't open for about 7-8 minutes. The person inside was almost out of breath. After much effort the coffin was opened. The artist came out crying. The artist was completely in 'Shaitan' getup. Deepak Ramsey said that he saw the 'ghost' crying for the first time. Actors were made to wear ghost masks, shooting took place mostly at night. When there was no VFX, only sound and visual effects created terrifying scenes. Until then, the makers tried to shoot only at night, so as to give the scene a natural look. Apart from this, the actors were made to wear ghost masks. However, the masks used to hide the actors' real expressions were later replaced by prosthetic make-up. Make-up was done continuously for 8-9 hours. Meanwhile, the actors were given something to eat and drink with a spoon or straw. Today, once the makeup is done, the rest is done by VFX. The woman asked for a lift on the road, her actions were strange, 5 years later, the film 'Veerana', released on 6 May 1988, was made on this incident and cannot be forgotten. There is a story behind the making of this film. In fact, one day Shyam Ramsay was returning from Mahabaleshwar after shooting for one of his films. On the way, a woman asked him for a lift. Shyam Ramsay gave the lady a lift, but she seemed very strange. His body language was not like normal people. Shyam Ramsay was very scared. They dropped the woman from the car and fled from there. Shyam Ramsey's niece Alisha Preeti Kripalani has written about this incident in detail in her book 'Ghost in Our Backyard'. He even wrote that the woman who was given a lift by her uncle Shyam Ramsay had both legs bent, as is believed to be the case with witches. This incident happened to Shyam Ramsay in 1983, five years after he made the film 'Veeraana'. Veera's film also shows a witch disguised as a beautiful woman asking for a lift from passers-by and then killing them. Actress Jasmin played the role of that witch in this film. A man's breathing was heard on a tape recorder Kiran Ramsay, one of the Ramsay Brothers, took care of all the sound work. He would go to graveyards and record the sound of the wind, the sounds of animals and the chirping of birds. They then used those sounds as background scores in films. Once he returned home after recording the voice from the cemetery. At home he turned on the tape recorder. He heard something that startled him. In fact, the sound of a man's breathing was heard, though no one else was present. Scaring hundreds of people sitting together in a theater is the most difficult task Director Soham Shah, who has made films like 'Kaal' and 'Luck', says that making horror films is the most difficult task. He said, 'Three hundred people sit in a picture hall and watch a film. It is clear how difficult it will be to intimidate them. It is also understandable if one stays alone. It is very sad that horror films have always received second class treatment. However, this perception has changed over the past few years. The trend of horror comedy films has started in Hindi cinema since last decade. Explaining the reason, Soham Shah said, 'People think why should we spend 200-300 rupees just to watch a horror film. They also need entertainment. The filmmakers realized this in time. After this the trend of horror comedy films started. Films like Bhoola Bhulaiyya, Bhootnath, Go Goa Gone, Stri and Munjya are examples. Dense jungles are the first choice of filmmakers for shooting horror films. We also visited Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. Many horror movies and shows have been shot there. Sanjay, the location manager present there, said that the forests here look scary, that's why they become the first choice of the producers. The location manager said, 'There are many strange experiences during shooting. Many crew members have had the experience that they have sensed someone around them. Sometimes the cameraman also complains about this. Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi's film 'Merry Christmas' was also shot here. Apart from this, television shows like 'Zee Horror Show' and 'Ahat' were also shot in these forests. Here many problems arise during shooting. Insects and wild animals live here. Snake charmers and animal handlers are always present on the sets for the safety of the actors. The actress who became a ghost in 'Stree' said- It felt like I didn't have the normal energy inside me. Flora Saini, who played a ghost in the film 'Stree', said that she thought the role of a ghost could be played easily, but then she realized how much courage it required.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
After the sound was recorded in the cemetery, it was used in films: a body was found during filming; The Ramsey Brothers who brought the ghost trend
