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Mumbai5 minutes agoWriters: Kiran Jain and Abhinav Tripathi

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Ramsay Brothers started making horror films in Bollywood. In the new episode of Reel to Real, we will talk about the making of horror films, stories and the changes that have taken place in today's era. - Dainik Bhaskar

The Ramsay Brothers started making horror films in Bollywood. In the new episode of Reel to Real, we will talk about the making of horror films, their stories and the changes that have taken place in today’s times.

If we look at the earnings, this year horror films dominated. Shaitan, Munjya and now Stree-2 have made huge profits. This is a genre which the audience has always liked. If anyone deserves the credit for starting the trend of horror films in Hindi cinema, then it is the Ramsay Brothers. Films like Veerana, Do Gaj Zameen Ke Neeche, Purana Mandir and Purani Haveli are proof of this.

Today in Reel to Real we will reveal the shooting process of horror films, the changes in film making 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 a location manager Sanjay.

Deepak Ramsay told that his uncle Kiran Ramsay would often go to the cemetery and record sounds. Then he used those sounds in his films.

First know some facts related to the films and shoots of Ramsay Brothers..

Ramsay Brothers’ films were released at night, not during the day.
Most of the shooting was done in real locations like graveyards, old ruins and mansions.
Almost all his films were made in a budget of 30-35 lakhs and used to collect around one to one and a half crores.
The Ramsay Brothers had a very unique style of shooting horror films. They would enter the graveyard at 9 pm and come out at 4 am. They called it ‘Special Graveyard Shoot’. Most of the shooting took place between this time slot.
Ramsay Brothers also started a TV horror show named ‘Zee Horror Show’. This show was so scary that the channel had to write a letter to Ramsay Brothers. It was written in the letter that even children are watching the show, so the horror scenes should be reduced a bit.
In the 70s, 80s and 90s, horror films were considered to be in the B-grade category. A-list actors did not work in these films. The reason was that these films also had a good dose of glamour. Apart from this, these films mostly got A-certificate, due to which big actors used to avoid them in advance. Despite small actors, Ramsay Brothers’ films used to earn a lot.

The idea of making horror films came about because of one scene
Deepak Ramsay told what made his father and uncles think of making horror films. Actually a film of Ramsay Brothers was released whose name was- ‘Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi’. In a scene of this film, Prithviraj Kapoor comes wearing a ghost mask, seeing which the heroine Mumtaz gets scared.

The film flopped, but this scene became a hit. Seeing the applause for this scene, Ramsay Brothers decided to make a full-fledged horror film. They made the film ‘Do Gaj Zameen Ke Neeche’ in a budget of 3.5 lakhs which became a superhit.

When a pit was dug for the shoot, a dead body was found from there
Since the budget was low, the film was shot in a real cemetery. The shoot was happening at night. According to the sequence of the film, a pit had to be dug there for the shoot. When the pit was dug, a dead body came out from there. It became a big issue. The shooting had to be stopped. However, somehow the filming was completed later.

Deepak is the son of Tulsi Ramsay, the eldest of the Ramsay Brothers. He has been a part of the making of many films along with his father. He has also directed films himself.

When the artist got stuck inside the coffin, he was about to stop breathing
Deepak Ramsay told that once his father and uncle were shooting for the film Purana Mandir. In that film, the character who played the devil had to be locked in a coffin. That coffin was ordered from Germany. That coffin was so strong that once it got locked by mistake, it would not open easily.

The artist who played the devil was made to lie down inside it. The assistant director did not pay attention and the coffin got locked. It could not be opened for about 7-8 minutes. The character lying inside was about to stop breathing. After a lot of effort, the coffin was opened. The artist came out crying. That artist was completely in the devil’s getup. Deepak Ramsay told that he saw a ‘ghost’ crying for the first time.

The actors were made to wear ghost masks, shooting mostly took place at night
When there was no VFX, horror scenes were created using sound and visual effects. The makers tried to shoot at night so that the scenes could be given a natural look.

Apart from this, the actors were made to wear ghost masks. Although the real expressions of the actors were hidden in the masks, later the masks were replaced by prosthetic makeup. Makeup was done continuously for 8-9 hours. During this time, the actors were given something to eat and drink with a spoon or straw. Today, once the makeup is done, all the rest of the work is done with VFX.

A scary mask can be seen in the background of Shyam Ramsay. The characters in his films used similar masks.

A woman asked for a lift on the road, her actions were strange, 5 years later a film was made on this incident
The film Veerana, released on 6 May 1988, cannot be forgotten. There is a story behind the making of this film.

Actually 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 woman a lift, but she looked very strange. Her body language was not like that of normal people. Shyam Ramsay got very scared. He got the woman out of the car and ran away from there.

Shyam Ramsay’s niece Alisha Preeti Kriplani has written about this incident in detail in her book ‘Ghost in Our Backyard’. She even wrote that the woman whom her uncle Shyam Ramsay gave a lift had both her legs bent, as is believed to be the case with witches.

This incident happened with Shyam Ramsay in 1983, five years after this he made the film Veerana. The same is shown in the film Veerana that a witch disguised as a beautiful woman asks for lift from passersby and then kills them. Actress Jasmine played the role of that witch in the film.

A scene from the movie Veerana, where Jasmine asks a passerby for a lift and then hunts him down on the way.

The sound of a man breathing was heard in the tape recorder
Kiran Ramsay, one of the Ramsay Brothers, used to look after the sound work. He used to go to graveyards and record the sound of wind, animal sounds and chirping of birds. He used those sounds as background score in films.

Once he came home after recording sound from the cemetery. At home, he turned on the tape recorder. He heard something that blew his senses away. Actually, the sound of a man breathing was coming from it, while there was no one present there except him.

The most difficult task is to scare hundreds of people sitting together in a theater
Director Soham Shah, who has made films like Kaal and Luck, says that making horror films is the most difficult task. He said, ‘300 people sit in a movie hall and watch a film. It is obvious that scaring them would be a very difficult task. If there is only one person, then it is understandable. It is very sad that horror films have always received second class treatment. However, this perception has changed in the last few years.’

The trend of horror comedy films has started in Hindi cinema since the last decade. Explaining the reason, Soham Shah said, ‘People think why should we spend 200-300 rupees to watch a horror film. They also want some entertainment along with it. Film makers realized this thing in time. From then onwards, the trend of horror comedy films started. Films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Bhootnath, Go Goa Gone, Stree and Munjya are examples of this.’

Dense forests are the first choice of makers for shooting horror films
We also went to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. Many horror films and shows have been shot there. Location manager Sanjay told us that the forests here look haunted at first sight, so they become the first choice of the makers.

The location manager said, ‘Strange activities happen many times during shooting. Many crew members feel that they have felt someone around them. Sometimes even the cameramen complain 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 Aahat were also shot in these forests.

The makers look for such forests which look haunted at first sight. For this, the role of the location manager increases a lot.

There are many problems during shooting here. Insects and wild animals reside here. To ensure the safety of the artists, snake charmers and animal handlers are always present on the set.

This is how horror films are shot in these forests.

The actress who became a ghost in Stree said- it felt like I don’t have normal energy
Flora Saini, who played a ghost in the film Stree, said that she thought the role of a ghost could be played easily, but later realized how much courage is required for it.