| Nala Damayanthi | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mouli |
| Produced by | Chandra Hassan Kamal Haasan |
| Written by | Kamal Haasan |
| Starring | Madhavan Geetu Mohandas Shruthika Sriman Anu Hasan |
| Music by | Ramesh Vinayagam |
| Cinematography | Siddharth |
| Editing by | Raja Mohammed |
| Studio | Raaj Kamal Films International |
| Release date(s) | June 6, 2003 |
| Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Nala Damayanthi is a 2003 Tamil film directed by Mouli and written and produced by Kamal Hassan. The film stars Madhavan in the lead role, with Geetu Mohandas and Shrutika playing supporting roles. The film released in June 2003 to an average response critically and commercially.[1]
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Ramji (Madhavan), a village cook from Palakkad, goes to Australia to become a chef at home of an Indian multi-millionaire. Unfortunately, the millionaire dies of indigestion the day Ramji arrives, leaving him jobless and without his passport and visa, which had been lost. Desperate to stay and earn, he starts working illegally as a cook in an Indian hotel owned by an NRI Badri (Sriman), but to stay on, he needs to get a legal work permit as the immigration police are after him. A solution comes up when Damayanthi (Geetu Mohandas), a free-spirited motorbiker chick of Sri Lankan Tamil Christian background and the fiancee of Badri's friend Ivan (Bruno Xavier), agrees to marry the docile cook in order to settle her loans. Ramji converts to Christianity, becoming Robert, and then moves into Damayanthi's house. Constant stalking by the police forces the couple to stay together to avoid detection by authority. However, when Ramji meets and begins to learn karate from Suguna, Ivan's ex-wife, whom he left after taking all her money and leaving her to be supported by her distant relatives, he tries to tell Damayanthi the truth and initiates a fight with Ivan. Damayanthi, though, does not believe what Ramji says and throws him out of the house in the middle of the night. The next morning, Ramji returns to the house and the couple forgive each other. Eventually, Ramji invites Suguna to their house and Damayanthi learns the truth and realizes the love that Ramji has for her. She soon begins to fall in love with him and takes Ivan's car, which she previously bought for him, and withdraws all the money from the joint account to give to Ramji's sister Bhagyam (Divyadarshini), who had trouble with her in-laws back in India and needed money to marry her childhood friend, Kicha. Eventually, Ramji answers more than he is asked at the immigration office then is forced to return to India. Damayanthi eventually comes along to Palakkad and the movie ends with a happy note where couple starts off a restaurant. Actors Kamal Haasan and Jayaram arrive to inaugurate the restaurant and wish the couple luck.
Kamal Haasan had written the script with himself in mind to play the lead role in the late 1990s, but never got down to making it because he felt it would not have been cost-effective.[2] After the profitable Pammal K. Sambandam, Mouli asked Kamal Haasan to re-collaborate with this particular script but Kamal Haasan was uninterested.[3] Madhavan was selected by Kamal Haasan to replace him, after the pair had shot for Anbe Sivam together in the period.[4] Geetu Mohandas was signed in February 2003 after Mouli had seen her picture in a magazine, and thus she made her comeback to the Tamil film industry after having appeared as the child in the 1988 film, En Bommukutty Ammavukku.
Bruno Xavier, an Australia-based Sri Lankan Tamil actor, was roped in to play the antagonist's role after a successful audition.[5]
The film was shot predominantly in Melbourne, Australia in February and March 2003 to make most of the daylight hours.[6] Anu Hasan, daughter of producer Chandra Haasan, helped with production duties and cut costs of the team's shoot in Australia, as well leading post-production works.[7] Ramesh Vinayakam's soundtrack for the film, which included an English folk song sung by Kamal Haasan, became a success.[8][9]
The film opened to above average reviews, with a critic citing that "even though the storyline doesn't seem very logical, it tries to sustain the viewers' interest till the end", whilst applauding that Madhavan "comes out with a convincing portrayal".[10] Sify also gave a verdict that the film was a "comedy caper" and a "clean comedy with some warm moment".[11]
Kamal Haasan revealed that he intended of remaking the film in Hindi, with the title of Maharaj, but the project did not take off.[12] Madhavan later wrote and starred in a Hindi version, Ramji Londonwaley, which released in September 2005 and eventually met with average reviews and collections.[13]