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Ramji Londonwaley
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'Ramji Londonwaley' Entertains

By Aparajita Ghosh
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Ramji Londonwaley tells the tale of a village bumpkin, Ramji – a self-styled cook – who goes to London to make money for his sister’s wedding and dowry. Even the unfortunate events that befall Ramji in the alien city bring a slight smile up your pecker because of the character’s innate humor and optimism in the face of misfortunes.

The movie would have fallen flat had it not been for the credible performance by the south Indian star Madhavan who played the lead in the movie’s original Tamil version Nala Damayanthi too.

Based

on the story written by Kamal Haasan, Ramji Londonwaley marks the directorial debut of Sanjay Dayma.

The movie begins from a Bihar village. Ramji (Madhavan), a simple man with a good heart, has the daunting task of arranging money for his sister’s wedding. So the buoyant bumpkin goes to London. After a funfilled air travel, Ramji arrives in the alien city to find that the promised job has slipped out of his hands because of the death of his employer-to-be.

Ramji’s troubles are further aggravated after he loses all his belongings including his passport and visa. Help comes in the form of an Indian couple who employ Ramji in their restaurant.

However, the immigration authorities are on Ramji’s trail as he has no visa and passport. To keep the authorities off his back, a desperate Ramji decides to get into a marriage of convenience with a U.K. national Sameera (Samita Bangargi).

The rest of the movie is about how this uneducated, good-hearted simpleton overcomes all odds to achieve his aim of making good money and win the hearts of people around him as well.

The story of the movie is simple and straight. Despite the fact that the plot is quite predictable and despite your knowing beforehand that Ramji would eventually succeed, the movie still entertains you in parts.

Certain sequences in the movie are indeed very hilarious – like Ramji’s air travel, his interaction with immigration authorities and the rustic ways with which he goes about in a cosmopolitan city.

First-time director Sanjay Dayma’s style of direction looks a bit amateurish, but he does succeed in balancing humor and melodrama. The misfortunes that befall Ramji in London and his subsequent surpassing of all obstacles have a dash of humor.

The movie begins on a light note and develops momentum gradually. Thankfully, we are spared of any unnecessary songs (except one in the second half) and deliberately forced comic characters. The second half becomes a bit contrived with the coming of many characters. The sequences leading to the movie’s climax (sequences involving actor Raj Zutsi) are a bit outstretched.

But it is Madhavan who manages to keep a smile on your face. The actor has underplayed himself beautifully and shows his flair for comedy. His facial reactions, his accent and the eventual transformation of his character into a man of action make the movie watchable.

Worth a watch

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