Ramji Londonwaley(2005)
'Ramji Londonwaley' is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Sanjay Dayma. The film stars R. Madhavan as Ramji, a village cook who travels to London to earn money for his sister's dowry, and Samita Bangargi as Samira, a British-Indian woman. The story follows Ramji's struggle to survive in London after his employer dies, leading him to take an illegal job and enter a fake marriage. The film is a remake of Madhavan's own Tamil film 'Nala Damayanthi' (2003), written by Kamal Haasan. Madhavan also wrote the Hindi dialogues for this version. The film received positive reviews for its feel-good tone and Madhavan's performance, though it was only an average box office success. It was released on 2 September 2005 and marked the launch of the UK's 'Bollywood Initiative'.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- MX Player, Prime Video, Netflix, ShemarooMe, Airtel Xstream Play
- Theatrical Release
- 1 January 2005
- Director
- Sanjay Dayma
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 2h 41m
- Rating
- 5.5/10
Storyline
A simple village cook named Ramji flies to London to earn money for his sister's dowry. But his employer dies on the first day, leaving him jobless and illegal. He must find a way to stay in the country and send money home before his sister's marriage falls apart.
“A cook, a fake marriage, and a big heart”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Ramji Londonwaley
Cast reunions in this film: Ravi Varman & Amitabh Bachchan (2 films together), Aditya Lakhia & Akhilendra Mishra (2 films together), Amitabh Bachchan & Raj Zutshi (2 films together), Amitabh Bachchan & Satish Shah (2 films together), and Raj Zutshi & Vishal Bharadwaj (2 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title character was inspired by a real-life London-based cook from the director's personal encounters.
- Actor Shreyas Talpade, who played a supporting role, was also a dialogue writer for the movie.
- It was one of the few Hindi films of its time to extensively shoot in actual London homes rather than just landmarks.
- The movie's climax scene involving a cooking competition was filmed over five continuous days.
- Director Sanjay Dayma chose the lead actor, Shreyas Talpade, after seeing his work in a Marathi play.
- The film subtly references the 2000 British film 'East is East' in its cross-cultural family comedy style.
- Despite a modest budget, it used authentic Indian kitchen setups in London to make cooking scenes realistic.