MSG: The Messenger - Lesser known facts

If you loved Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan’s MSG: The Messenger, there’s some good news for you. MSG II is set to hit the theatres soon, reports Bollywoodlife.com. All the money earned from the film, which was trashed by the critics, was immediately invested in the making of its sequel, the report stated. Further to the report, the second film in the MSG series will showcase the saint’s efforts in Rajasthan where he once set up a relief camp to help the tribal people get rid of their marijuana addiction.

While the film is being shot extensively, read on to know how MSG: The Messenger fared at the box office...

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan's debut film, MSG: The Messenger has been in the news of late. The film that was embroiled in a Censor Board controversy was finally released on February 13 2015. Reportedly, the film is said to have made Rs 100 crore at the box office. But according to a report on Bollywoodlife.com, the numbers don't hold true. Sources were quoted telling Bollywoodlife.com that the film didn't work much, with cinema halls remaining empty everyday and in fact, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh eventually bought bulk tickets of MSG, which he has produced, written and directed. The report further states that none of the trade analysts have given out a box office number for this film.

While the actual figures remain a mystery, here's a look at what filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had to say about Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Read on...

RGV calls Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan an a**

A 140 character tweet is one of the most powerful things in the world today. Or so it is for people like Ram Gopal Varma who can create controversy by merely expressing themselves in a tweet. This time, the king of controversies, has targetted MSG: The Messenger hero Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan by calling the god-man an a**. While RGV hasn't mentioned in any of his tweets that he has watched Ram Rahim's film, looks like his tweets are definitely the after-effect of his experience of watching MSG: The Messenger. One of Varma's tweets read, "Ram Rahim of MSG is an Ass but I don't mean Ass in a figurative nor literal way..nd if anyone doesn't understand this he's an Ass" [sic]

According to a report in NDTV.com, security arrangements across Haryana and Chandigarh have been increased to deal with any situation resulting due to the build-up of tension over the release of controversial film MSG: The Messenger on February 13. The relations between sect followers and Sikhs have not been good in recent years and since the Dera Sacha Sauda sect headquarters are located near Sirsa town which also has a substantial Sikh population, the police is on tenterhooks. Sikh leaders had submitted a memorandum to the Chandigarh Administration on February 12 seeking a ban on the release of the film. They said that the administration would be responsible if anything untoward happened.

Read on to know why the controversial film has been allowed to release...

According to a report on Hindustantimes.com, the Censor Board has cleared the controversial film by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, MSG: Messenger of God. The film is expected to release on February 13, 2015, the report stated. 'Breach of peace and threat to social harmony' was cited as one of the reasons to stop the screening of the movie, as per reports. In his defence, Ram Rahim had said that there is nothing objectionable in his movie, adding that there was not a 'single word against any religion, caste or community' in the film. The report quoted Ram Rahim as saying that the film will not promote any superstition or obscurantism and is based on real incidents.

The Censor Board had witnessed mass resignation when MSG: Messenger of God was under consideration for clearing. Read on to know more...

According to an IANS report, the Censor Board of Film Certification was hit by mass resignations a day after the Board Chairperson, Leela Samson, quit citing coercion and corruption even as Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at those quitting, referring to them as 'UPA appointees who had themselves to blame for any corruption. Amidst the drama, the Punjab government banned the screening of controversial film MSG: The Messenger Of God, which features Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, in wake of a central advisory and intelligence reports that it could lead to tension. The film was cleared by the Certification Appellate Tribunal's (FCAT) despite not getting clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and its revising committee. It is yet to be officially released.

Let's take a look at some lesser known facts about the controversial film...

According to a PTI report, Dera Saccha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh deferred a premiere of his controversial film MSG: The Messenger of God in which he claimed he has not tried to project himself as God or hurt any religious sentiments. Moreover, he even went to the extent of comparing himself to top Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. "We have been asked to remove two dialogues, both of which were spoken by my co-actors and not me. We have been also asked to include two warnings before the movie that it does not hurt any religious sentiments. Certain stunts have been performed in the movie. Even Shah Rukh Khan has stopped a train and Hrithik Roshan stopped a plane," the report quoted him as saying, when asked about his flamboyant portrayal in the movie.

MSG: The Messenger Of God is gathering a lot of steam on all social networking sites. The film has been trending on micro-blogging site Twitter with a lot of people tweeting in support of the film. MSG: The Messenger Of God was expected to release on January 16, 2015, but has been delayed. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the CBFC's revising committee denied a certificate to the film stating that it promoted blind faith and superstition. While the release of the film still remains to be seen, we bring to you some lesser known facts about the movie.

Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan has apparently done several stunts in the film. According to a report in Bombay Times, Guruji has performed the action sequences in the film on his own. The report further stated that Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan apparently escaped a near fatal accident while performing one of the stunts. It required him to ride a quad bike, but in the opposite direction of the traffic. A report on Dailybhaskar.com quoted an action director saying that Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan had 104 degrees fever, but still he shot for all the stunts. The report further stated that Guruji had crossed a truck from a mere one inch gap.

One can say that MSG: The Messenger of God has a huge cast. According to a report in Bombay Times, about 13 lakh people had participated in the shooting and that the makers had not used any kind of visual effects to show the crowd seen in the film's trailer. The report further quoted the film's spokesperson saying that whenever Guruji would shoot, his followers around the location would gather and participate in the shoot.

According to a report in Bombay Times about 50 sets were created to shoot for the film. The report further stated that a lot of material for the shoot was sourced from the stock of the organisation for Guruji's rockstar nights. Apparently, a lot of people worked in day and night shifts to get the sets in place. The report also stated that Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan had got more than 100 costumes made for his film.

According to a report in Bombay Times, one specific scene in MSG: The Messenger of God had nearly 1.25 lakh people participating in it. The report further stated that all of them had to light up candles and extinguish them in a minute. A report in Bombay Times stated that apparently Guruji, with the help of four large screens, instructed the crowd how to do it, and the whole sequence was shot in one take.

The music of MSG: The Messenger Of God has been composed and directed by Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan himself. According to reports, Guruji has written, composed and sung all the songs. The report also stated that one of the songs, 'Raatan - Baatan' had crossed 1.3 lakh views on YouTube within 12 hours. According to a report, the spiritual head had travelled to several cities across India as a part of his film's promotional tours. The report further stated that during an event in Bengaluru, Guruji was very impressed with a youngster's impromptu performance on one of the songs, and he selected him for a sequel of MSG.

MSG: The Messenger of God stars Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan. He is not just an actor in the film, but according to IMDB, he is also the director, writer, musician and lyricist of the film. In real life he is the spiritual head of Dera Sacha Sauda. According to a report in Bombay Times MSG: The Messenger Of God is also produced by Saint Gurmeet Singh in association with Jeetu Arora. According to IMDB the film was shot in just 67 days.