Ramji Londonwaley (2005) User Reviews

Very lovely

[patobiero · 8/10 · 23 September 2006]

I really, really loved this movie. It was a simple and heartfelt story about a good, caring and simple man who tries to take care of his sister and gets into a load of trouble along the way.

I found the story very moving, and the performances, in my opinion, were all very good. Madhavan shines in the lead role (he plays strong, sensitive, and simple very well...and looks good too, I might add - sorry just had to put that in there!), and the lead female actress is great too. The other actors all do a decent job. The guy who played 'Jai' was generally very good, but his scenes with the 'Samira' character were stilted. I cringed every time he called her 'baby'.

The film has a strong message, about being true to yourself, and finding good in others. There's also a message about using your talents and appreciating the gifts we each have. For me, the love that grew between the lead characters was very believable, and was the anchor for the story. We saw it develop over time - it wasn't over-sexualised or ridiculously sudden like in a lot of movies. And a lot of topical issues were dealt with in the movie, but not in a preachy way (see Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pardes' for an example of a Hindi movie that preached at the audience - I felt I was being hit over the head with a mallet). In 'Ramji Londonwaley', the messages are more subtle and therefore seem more sincere.

I wasn't expecting too much from this movie (and it does start out a bit slow), but I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved and enjoyed it. A good job by all.

Heartwarming comedy

[AishFan · 7/10 · 27 July 2006]

Ramji Londonwaley is a beautiful comedy about a cook, played by Madhavan, in an Indian village who accepts an offer to cook for a man in London so that he can pay the dowry for his sister's marriage. The movie is hilarious for NRIs as they can relate to several of the cultural confusions that have been penned very creatively! This movie teaches us a lesson to some of us who look down on upon uneducated villagers but can learn from some of their values and high honor of commitment as does Ramji's wife. The scenes with the mentally handicapped child are extremely touching! Everyone gives an absolutely fantastic performance!! Madhavan, his wife, the grandma, the retarded child, his parents, and even the police officers and interrogators are all amazing! Excellent direction. The only thing I don't like is the ending, which seems to be too "Bollywoodish" and rosy, setting it apart from the rest of the film, which deals with some serious and difficult situations, while maintaining a light atmosphere. It would have been better if the wife did not go to India. The clichéd scene of running to the airport at the last minute and the "10 months later" scene are very unrealistic compared to the rest of the movie. All in all though, the film deserves an applaud for tackling several issues such as unjust laws, physical handicaps, alienation/loneliness, and the meaning of true love while still being a great comedy!

I'd go for a sequel!

[shaunaruss · 8/10 · 15 September 2020]

This was a fun, entertaining, emotional movie and all those aspects work together to make it memorable. This is the type of movie that made me fall in love with Indian cinema and more movies like this, serve as enjoyable reminders! The ending came as a very pleasant surprise that made me laugh!! Perfect!

great movie

[ngh007 · 7/10 · 4 March 2006]

i found this to be a great movie... it didn't have any of those awful song sequences, no getting wet in the rain, no skimpy dresses just for the sake of it. I found this to be very realistic, living abroad & meeting Indian people everyday, some of which do go back to India, and some stay (everyone has good reasons for doing what they do)... and yes, very original for the love interest 'gori mem' to first hate & then fall deeply in love with the guy. and great build up of compromising situations leading to a big illegal immigrant status... a lot of people might not agree with me on this point though- most Indian men (of the age shown in the movie, 15-30) who come overseas are generally perverts... cant stop talking about the white, or Indian girls in short skirts, tight tops, or their bust sizes - and not in the way the movie has shown... more in a very perverted way... my opinion again, its statistically negligible the number of Indian guys who come abroad & still stay sane & keep their brains out of their pants! I found one, and i kept him, but most of the others are hormone-crazed! but loved the movie, and specially the 'intervention' scene where the bad guy threatens to report this to the cops and then is emotionally torn-down when his best friend & ex-wife tell him off.

Good Time Pass...Feel Good Family Movie

[lavmanocha · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

R Madhavan is a charmer in this movie. Decent songs Feel Good Movie One can enjoy be with family.

A very simple movie

[BiswajitSince2005 · 9/10 · 28 February 2007]

This is the story of Ramji a simpleton who stays with his sister Parvati after their parents expired. He is a tremendous cook and is a master of all art of cooking. He arranges his sisters marriage promising a lot of dowry as asked. But then he is unable to arrange the dowry and promises to his sister's father-in-law to arrange the dowry soon. One of the guest in the wedding is so pleased with his cooking that he arranges a job for him in UK. Ramji though is not interested to go, but has to go for arranging the dowry for her sister. Upon reaching UK he finds that the person who had employed him has died and his family members doesn't need his service anymore. He is handed over a ticket back to his village in India and is thrown out of their house. But he has got a job to complete. Arranging dowry for his sister.

He lost all his papers and must find a job before being thrown out of the country. He does find an Indian Guru who employ him as a cook in his hotel. Guru is more happy when he finds that his handicapped son is also fond of Ramji and he decides to keep him and arranges his marriage so that all his papers can be made. The marriage is supposed to be a 3 month's marriage after which Samira will divorce Ramji after his papers are made. He goes to stay with Samira in her house with her grand mother. Staying there slowly they call in love with each other. Ramji applies for a cookery competition and wins the first prize that gives him the much needed money for her sister and opening a restaurant for himself and comes back to India to fulfil his dreams.

Sweet movie, we liked it, but

[pdianek · 7/10 · 19 July 2008]

... but it does borrow very heavily in one part of the story (last quarter) from Peter Weir's 1990 romantic comedy "Green Card", starring Andie McDowell and Gerard Depardieu (it was the French Depardieu's first film in English). Yet even there, this film manages to wrench clear plagiarism into a recognizably Indian sensibility.

Because "Ramji Londonwaley" is so long, it has the flexibility to deal with a number of subplots that "Green Card" never touches, as well.

My teenagers and I enjoyed "Ramji". It was very different from the Chopra/Johar/Khan extravaganzas, clearly on a smaller budget, and – as someone above pointed out – Ramji is obviously in the hero mold, though I doubt the extensive use of a gym!

One-Time Watch

[CriticGirl91 · 6/10 · 22 July 2015]

There is nothing outstanding about the plot of the film, in fact, it is full of clichés. Still, I enjoyed watching the film, and never got bored because of its earnest approach.

The movie has very positive, even if unrealistic ideas. For example, Parvati's remarriage really won my heart. The narrative supported practical solutions over idealistic ones, which are so typical in our Hindi films. Sonu remains disabled till the end, with only some improvement. There is no scene of herogiri, or hero protecting the heroine with the help of blows. No courtroom drama. No overnight stardom. Very remarkable for a Hindi film.

The film does disappoint on several counts though. The performances are just about there, but never there. Except Harsh Chaya, nobody delivers too well. Ramji meeting a bunch of restaurateurs after his initial disappointment is unrealistic, as is the heroine falling for a villager. The songs are very bugging, too. Especially the one that goes, "When in Rome, do as Romans..."

Overall, a feel-good film with an effort to be different from the mainstream ones. Deserves encouragement.

It is OK! A decent Timepass Film

[abhaybhargav · 5/10 · 6 September 2005]

I went to this movie with great reluctance. I was told by a good friend that it is the remake of a Tamil Film Nala Damayanthi, which was very good. I found it to be a decent masala film. The story is about a cook Ramji(Madhavan), who gets his sister married but cannot find the cash to pay for her dowry. His sister's father-in-law threatens him that if he doesn't pay the dowry quickly he will have no option, but to throw his sister out. He is given an offer to go to London to cook for a wealthy Indian Family, and he takes it in the hope of making some money for his sister's dowry. This story basically deals with he culture shock faced by poor Ramji in the alien land of England and the funny situations he gets himself into. He finds his Indian roots to be of great help in London and becomes a much loved character there. He also manages to find himself a love interest played by Samita Bangargi. She is the modern Gori Mem and she moves from hating Ramji to loving him deeply(Very Original!!!!). The comedy in the movie is good but it loses way in the middle. The movie tries to do too much and falls flat on its face. The scenes with the Immigration officials are a little silly. Overall a decent movie. A family entertainer. If you have 3 hours to kill, you can go for it.

Strong Performance for Madhavan, Otherwise Just Okay

[GypsiB · 6/10 · 22 April 2020]

Ramji (played by Madhavan), an excellent cook from an Indian village, takes a job in London to pay his sister's dowry. When he reaches London, disaster strikes and he finds himself with no identification and no job. He finds help from new friends, and forges an unexpected relationship with a London girl, Samira (Samita Bangargi,) who is his opposite in every way.

This is a cute, feel-good movie somewhat based on Hollywood's 1990 movie Green Card. Madhavan is a good actor and his portrayal of the sweet, naive, and honorable Ramji is well done. Samita Bangargi is not as convincing, and their chemistry was unexceptional. The songs were just average, but incidental music was effective. Overall, while it's not particularly memorable, Ramji Londonwaley is entertaining, and at times moving, mainly due to Madhavan's strong performance.

Good start but fails to bind after interval

[lnb_2k · 5/10 · 5 September 2005]

first things first... Good direction.Even minute technical things are taken care of.some goof ups like showing south Indian temple in Bihar. music is average.above average performance from star cast. no what lacks is Good story which unable to bind people till end, it starts well as A cook from a distant village in bihar was in tough condition when his sister inlaws asks for dowry which obviously he wasn't able to arrange.fate takes him to London where he was supposed to work as a cook in some Indian lawyer but found himself in dizzy situation when he found owner was died of Ulcer and he was jobless in London.Alone and lost in London he finally got a Indian couple in London who employed him as a cook in their restaurant.As he lost his papers in London he was forced into the situation where he need to marry a girl and change his religion to get rid of Paper and work permit issue. After which story takes some other turns and it finally comes out be a typical masala movie. till interval movie runs smoothly after which somehow it fails to bind audience with it. but still i believe its worth watching one time.

Mckeeisation of bollywood

[Ali_Asgar · 6/10 · 8 February 2006]

I was surprised to find that the movie, with a pacey and slick script, is actually good! This is hollywoodisation of bollywood...more precisely, this is Mckeeisation of bollywood. Inspired (no pun intended) by their Hollywood counterparts, the Indian scriptwriters have also started taking cues from Robert Mckee - the screen writing guru. This story has a deep imprint of Mckee in a clear and structured manner- inciting incident, negation of negation, plot points, resolution etc etc.

On the face of it, this development would appear as a progressive step which indeed it is for a while BUT it also contains seeds of quick stagnation . The Hollywood movies have long lost their souls and now appear very predictable and plastic- thanks to an overdose of Mckee. The same may happen to the new wave Indian movies if they keep religiously following American structuralism without realising the flip side of it. Indian writers should see to it that in an attempt to break free from bollywood formula, they do not get trapped in the Hollywood (mckee) formula. Individual creativity and instincts is all one should follow while making a movie.

Did I mention, this movie is worth your multiplex expenses and three hours? Go watch it.

6.2 - in the same ballpark as other movies during the 2000s

[har1s · 6/10 · 17 September 2023]

Umm, a good laugh with few dialogues and scenes. The introduction is really funny and creates a connection between you and the protagonist. I am not from Bihar and have only heard bihari accent from the movies but I felt Madhavan's take on Bihari accent was funny.

On the story side, just a typical timepass storyline, nothing too much happening. There wasn't anything extraordinary that you wouldn't have seen before, but it also isn't boring in a sense that you wouldn't have the urge to turn it off halfway.

Climax was so so, but this movie would have been way funnier if the exact storyline was in Punjabi.

Good movie, Bad production.

[mathur_gaurav · 5/10 · 27 January 2020]

Good movie, nice storyline, great cast and decent acting .. but production is the one that is probably pulling the movie rating down. Scenes seems to be patched together and does not look organic.