Ramji Rao Speaking (1989)

Original title

റാംജിറാവ് സ്പീക്കിങ്ങ്

Directed by

Lal, Siddique

Genre

comedy film

Country

India

Runtime

2h 30m

Rated

U

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 31 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The film follows a group of unemployed friends in 1980s Kerala who get entangled in a money-making scheme. Their plan spirals out of control when a strange phone call leads to mistaken identity and a series of comic misunderstandings.

lightheartedcomedicquirkycleverfast-pacedchaoticsatiricalengaging

What happens

Ramji Rao Speaking is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-thriller film written and directed by the duo Siddique–Lal (in their directorial debut) and produced by Fazil, Swargachitra Appachan, and Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy. It stars Sai Kumar, Mukesh, Innocent, Vijayaraghavan, Devan, Rekha, with Sankaradi, Sukumari, Kunchan and Mamukkoya in other supporting roles. The film deals with social factors affecting Kerala including unemployment during the 1980s, and went on to achieve a cult classic status. Ramji Rao Speaking marked the debut of director duo Siddique and Lal, actors Sai Kumar (first appearance in a notable role), Rekha, N. F. Varghese and Harishree Ashokan (both in minor roles), and music director S. Balakrishnan. Mannar Mathai Speaking (1995) and Mannar Mathai Speaking 2 (2014) are the sequels to the film. The core plot of the movie was inspired by the 1971 American Broadcasting Company TV film See The Man Run directed by Corey Allen and written by Mann Rubin. Fazil remade this film in Tamil as Arangetra Velai (1990), with Mamukkoya, Sukumari and Vijayaraghavan reprising their role and the character of Gopalakrishnan being replaced by a female. Priyadarshan remade the film in Hindi, titled Hera Pheri (2000). It was also remade in Telugu as Dhanalakshmi, I Love You (2002), in Odia as Wrong Number (2002), in Kannada as Trin Trin (2004), in Bengali as Hera Pheri (2016) and Punjabi as Gol Gappe (2023). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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