Nala Damayanti

Cast: Madhavan, Geetu Mohandas, Shriman, Anu Hassan,
Director: Mouli

Bogged down by financial problems following his sister's marriage, Ramji (Madhavan) a simple Palakkad Brahmin cook lands up in Melbourne. But the unexpected happens and soon he finds himself sans job, passport and work permit.

Badri (Shriman) and his wife (Anu Hassan) who own a restaurant give him shelter and he becomes a cook and stays with them. Their spastic son takes an instant liking for Ramji. But soon the immigration department takes him into custody and the only way out is to get into a marriage of convenience with Damayanthi (Geetu Mohandas), a Srilankan Tamilian who is an Australian citizen. But she is already engaged and agrees for this marriage to make a few dollars.

Nala Damayanti was meant to be a hilarious film, but doesn't quite turn out that way. Most of the time one gets the feeling of watching a stage play. The plot is too much fret and froth about nothing other than making the Australian police and immigration department look like a set of idiots. The screenplay is a mess as it hops between Thathamangalam a village near Palakkad and Melbourne. The intimate scenes of Ramji-Damayanti were not so convincing.

Madhavan as Ramji was not quite able to rise to the demands of the character. But in some scenes he makes you laugh especially those scenes in the plane. Geetu Mohandas fits in adequately as Damayanti. Anu Hassan has a lot of potential, but has yet get a role suited to her calibre. Kamal Hassan makes a guest appearance along with his Sandiyar gang, which is the surprise packet in the film

Nala Damayanthi was Kamal's brainchild, a role that he had written keeping himself in mind. The entire film has been shot in a single schedule of 40 days in Melbourne by director Mouli for producer Kamal Hassan and his Rajkamal Productions. Music by Ramesh Vinayagam disappoints but the camera of debutant Siddharth has etched the tourist destinations in Australia well.

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