http://www.ramjilondonwaley.com/

Remake of the tamil movie Nala Damayanthi

They airbrushed his face too much. Maddy doesn't look like Maddy anymore.

I dont think this movie will do that well. Average is the maximum you can expect.

Is it directed by Kaamal Hasan?

music is out, Vishal this time!

Directed by Sanjay Dayma, co-writer of Lagaan. Kamal produced and wrote the Tamil version, and I've read it is inspired by the film Green Card (surprise surprise )

Oh Lord! aaaaaggh, no!!

The film is way better then Green Card (at least the Tamil version). Kamal Hassan & "Crazy" Mohan's screenplay captures some moments that remind me of the classic Hirikesh Mukerjee films (Golmaal, Bawarchi, Chupke Chupke).

Funny moments include the "He kick my balls!" & "Where is my passport and visa??" scenes.

Alas, Ramji could have been good

Raja Sen | September 02, 2005 19:18 IST


Maybe it's because I was famished, and the very idea of a self-styled gourmet chef pulling off great epicurean feats effortlessly appealed to me, but I indulgently smiled through most of Ramji Londonwaley's first half.

And this is all because of Madhavan. The actor was reportedly quite good in the film's Tamil original, Nala Damayanthi, and he shines through this simpleton role with flying colours. It's a very straight character, a naïve do-gooder country bumpkin struggling to cope with London.

The challenge is in lacing his straight-man with likeability, and this is something Madhavan manages quite deftly. He is utterly believable, almost always convincing and delightfully restrained -- something our finest leading men seem quite incapable off.

As the chef bumbles through credible difficulties, we're convinced it's a refreshing film. The premise is predictable to the hilt – cook needs dough for sister's wedding, goes to London, loses everything, and then goes from rags to riches through a series of fortunate filmi events. But it's 'feel-good' -- which translates to an audience supposed to suspend disbelief and leave our cynic hats at home. Fine, fine. So we're initially okay with the film, as is our Bihari protagonist.





Except, we notice by the time we're munching interval-bought popcorn, Ramji's accent slips. From a blissful ignorance of the English tongue, he has oddly enlightened moments when he spouts perfectly comprehensible complete sentences in the language.

This, in a nutshell, is the problem with this initially harmless film – it is tragically inconsistent.

And we aren't talking about the bad direction. First-time director Sanjay Dayma is totally lost throughout the film, with continuity and factual errors glaringly difficult to miss. Characters change position between cuts, the editing is shoddy, and the whole package is decidedly amateurish. The dubbing is atrocious. Still, we start by settling into Ramji and giving it the benefit of the doubt, because of Madhavan's character, and the script's simplicity.

It is this simplicity that the film starts to lose as it goes on, and this is most unfortunate. Starting well with Ramji's life in a small Bihar village populated by the residents of Ashutosh Gowariker-Land (yes, the director's regulars), our hero gamely tackles irate flight attendants, travel on the London Underground, and an unexpected funeral. And – again, because of the way he plays it straight – we're okay with the way things progress.

Then he meets his heroine, Sameera, played by Samita Bangargi. The girl looks reasonably fine as long as Dayma isn't zooming right into her face – which he likes to do quite a bit – and she's surprisingly not an intolerable (as opposed to, please note, 'a tolerable') actress. At least she doesn't shriek, or giggle annoyingly. Anyway, we're still waiting for them to fall in love, and for some mush being garbled by our bumpkin. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen till the very end of the film, and in between, things go very awry.

The simple film turns very contrived with a dozen little side characters and a lot of very avoidable melodrama. As things drag needlessly on – the film stretches slowly close to the three-hour mark – Ramji's constant confusion is replaced by his being a man of action, and the director begins to prioritise the wrong subjects in his narrative. For instance, one of the highlights of the film, his entering a cooking competition, is reduced to tiny little spool-time during a song sequence. And copious scenes are devoted to a very confusing, totally irrelevant sister-best friend subplot. Tsk.

It's irritating because this could have been polished into a good film. Maybe even a memorable film. Madhavan makes a valiant attempt, and renders the film almost entirely watchable, but that happens to be a big almost, sadly.

And then there's the end, the very end, which feels like a bad Kaun Banega Crorepati promo. Ouch.



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Ramji Londonwaley





By Taran Adarsh, September 2, 2005 - 11:55 IST

Three decades ago, Manoj Kumar's PURAB AUR PACHIM depicted the contrasting cultures of India and U.K. with dexterity. Over the years, several films have embarked on a similar route, but very few could leave that indelible impression.

As you wait for the lights to go off and the reels of RAMJI LONDONWALEY to unfold, you don't really expect much from the film. The reasons being: [i] There's practically no hype for the film, [ii] The lead man -- although a sought-after name in South -- has yet to find a foothold in Mumbai, [iii] The director, a first-timer, was associated with LAGAAN as an apprentice, but has nothing to his credit, [iv] The music has been released barely a week ago; obviously, it hasn't caught the fancy of the listeners yet...

So many factors that wouldn't really compel you to watch the film, on face-value at least!

But the viewer of today yearns for a good story at the end of the day and in this case, it's the story that does the talking. RAMJI LONDONWALEY grips you slowly and steadily. If the first hour is bas theek hain type, it's the second half that changes the fortunes of not just Ramji, but also the film.

The story of a simpleton has been narrated with utmost simplicity and care. There's no effort to resort to clichés or formula, no unwanted songs, no attempt by the director to make you gulp something you didn't want to.

Kamal Haasan's story, Sanjay Dayma's screenplay and direction, Madhavan's performance and a heady mix of light and dramatic moments are the USPs of this enterprise. To sum up, the outcome is as invigorating as a hot coffee on a rainy day.

Remake of the Tamil hit NALA DAMAYANTHI, which also starred Madhavan as a cook [in the Tamil version, Ramji heads for Australia], RAMJI LONDONWALEY succeeds in bringing a smile on your face and a tear in your eye.

Ramji [Madhavan], a cook from Bihar, leaves for London to earn money and dole out the promised dowry for his sister's marriage.

After a hilarious air travel, he lands in London to find that his U.K.-based employer is dead. Things go from bad to worse when Ramji loses his belongings, including his passport, and is virtually on the streets, completely clueless about what to do next.

But hope comes in the form of an Indian [Harsh Chhaya] and his wife, who employ him as a chef in their Indian restaurant. But the immigration department swoops on Ramji and the only way out is to get into a marriage of convenience with Sameera [Samita Bangargi], a U.K. national. However, she is already into a steady relationship [Raj Zutshi], but agrees for this marriage since her fiancé compels her to take this step.

The rest of the film is about the immigration authorities getting on Ramji's trail and how the simpleton triumphs in every situation despite obstacles and barriers.

Post LAGAAN, there has been an effort to narrate stories based in the heartland of India. Ashutosh Gowariker and his apprentices, first Apoorva Lakhia [MUMBAI SE AAYA MERA DOST] and now Sanjay Dayma, traverse a similar path, although Dayma's film starts in Bihar, shifts to London and returns to Bihar again.

The interesting part of the film is the strong identification with the characters. Ramji is like any one of us, who lands up in situations that aren't easy to entangle. Right from the age-old evil called dowry to the problems an individual might encounter if he/she has lost his papers in a foreign country to the cultural divide, Dayma makes it a point to present the tribulations with a dash of humor, not painting a grim picture at all.

If the writing is very much controlled and almost flawless and the direction is proficient, there's one department where you feel the captain of the ship [the director] should've exercised his power: Editing.

The same story narrated with the same conviction could've easily done with a concise length. While the pacing in the first half is alright, the film does drag towards the second half and the editor could've easily chopped off 10-15 minutes [especially the 'Dhuan' track] to make things crisp and fast-paced.

Nevertheless, Dayma's execution in the post-interval portions, when Ramji's problems escalate, has been handled with élan. A number of sequences stand out in this half --
The sequence when Samita learns the truth about Zutshi's marriage, right till the slap on his face in a restaurant.

Zutshi's ugly confrontation in the night with the entire clan and his estranged wife stepping in to give him a piece of her mind.

The separate interviews conducted by the immigration authorities in the pre-climax.

The sequence at the airport, when Ramji decides to return to his village.

Dayma also succeeds in striking the right balance between humor and melodrama. The brand of humor is not the David Dhawan kind, yet it manages to makes you laugh at the right places. The toilet paper part as also the sequences involving the undergarments are humorous.

Vishal Bharadwaj's music is okay, partly because the songs haven't been promoted to the optimum. Cinematography [Ravi Varman] is eye-catching, especially the aerial view of London. Dialogues [Madhavan, Sanjay Dayma] give the film that extra sheen.

RAMJI LONDONWALEY belongs to Madhavan completely. It's a master stroke from the accomplished actor yet again. He conveys so much through his expressive face and eyes and that's where the actor triumphs. Samita Bangargi is a revelation. If the actor looked completely at sea in her earlier outings, she gets it right this time around. She leaves a strong impression in the latter half of the film, handling the dramatic moments like a seasoned performer.

The film has a number of characters, but the ones who stand out are Raj Zutshi, Aditya Lakhia, Harsh Chhaya, Dayashanker Pandey and Akhilendra Mishra. Raj Zutshi is first-rate in a role that offers him ample scope to change colors like a chameleon. Aditya Lakhia may have a miniscule role, but his eyes convey a lot. Satish Shah steers away from his funny man image and proves his versatility in a different role. The lady playing the role of Zutshi's estranged wife is excellent. Amitabh Bachchan stages an entry in the last sequence and is sure to appeal to the die-hard Bachchan fans.

On the whole, RAMJI LONDONWALEY is a feel-good entertainer that gives you a positive feeling at the conclusion of the show. At the box-office, its future will rest on a strong word of mouth kind, although the clash of multiple films in a week and also the fact that NO ENTRY continues to be the first choice of moviegoers, will affect the business of RAMJI LONDONWALEY to an extent. An enjoyable film nonetheless!