“Remake would be a derogatory way of bracketing Ramji” – Sanjay Dayma 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, August 29, 2005 - 04:23 IST
Sanjay Dayma - the name might sound new to a few but the man has to his credit the writing of one of the most riveting screenplays of Hindi cinema, Lagaan. That should speak for itself! Dayma debuts into direction with a light-hearted still heart-warming delicious comedy of a bucolic cook who migrates from Bihar to London. In an exclusive interview to IndiaFM the man speaks about Lagaan, Ramji Londonwaley and the journey in between.
You scripted Lagaan and have also been an assistant director for the movie. But still the movie is remembered only as an Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker or A R Rehman film. Do you think you did not get the due credits for Lagaan?
In principle no! I guess it's true we got much lesser credit for Lagaan, but I guess that is a part and parcel of the learning curve. I now know the power of PR, but I didn't know it then. However I have no regrets about it.
From Lagaan to Ramji Londonwaley how has the journey been?
It's been great actually; in one way I can say it's a life-transforming thing. Because you start of with such a big film like Lagaan and it takes you another 3-4 years to come up with you own project. It's something that makes you really think. But the journey has been phenomenal and I have enjoyed everything.
After writing something as original as Lagaan, why did you choose to remake a Tamil movie 'Nala Damyanti' for Ramji Londonwaley?
I don't agree that it is a remake of that movie; in the proper term it is an adaptation. The germ is the same; the principle has been more nurtured in it. A remake would be really a derogatory way of bracketing it, but I guess that's how people will see. But for me it would never be a remake. I am sure even if Mr. Kamal Hassan sees the film he would be surprised to see what the film has turned out to be. There was great scope for a director to work in the film; a remake would never let you do that. In this film, the potential was there, that excitement was there, that's why it feels as good as a script that I would have written.
Immediately after Lagaan I had a script ready that I was very excited about, I started working on it, I started hawking on it. That script is one of the reasons how Mady and me got together because I had narrated that script to him earlier. It took about two years to put together a lot of things, but I guess it was a bigger budget film for me to start off with for several reasons, and then Ramji… came along.
Why did you retain Madhavan in the Hindi cast as well?
To say the least, because he is a phenomenal actor not only on the basis of Ramji Londonwaley, but we have seen enough of his work and secondly, I had known him even before Ramji… happened, so I was very convinced about working with him. And as far as retaining Mady in the film, well I can say that Mady is the one who actually got me on board.
Lagaan had implied humor that was not blatant or in your face. So does Ramji Londonwaley that makes you laugh through the story and screenplay and doesn't have forced humor. Does making credible comedies need special efforts in writing and directing?
I think it takes special efforts to write any script, especially for an engaging screenplay it takes a lot of efforts. I don't look at writing a comedy. When you start you look at the germ of writing and directing and then you look at the soul of the film. Like in a horror or a thriller you have technical support, similarly in comedy it depends hugely on the cast. In writing, the effort is the same but in performances you have to take care. In directing, if you have a great cast 80% of the battle is won.
Earlier the movie was titled Bawarchi. Why was it changed to Ramji Londonwaley subsequently?
It was not really a subsequent change; it was more of a working title. We were sure that Bawarchi was not the final title, as it segregates it to a very small bracket. You are literally loosing out on mass. Secondly when we went into the script, I was sure that the movie was about Ramji and when I bounced it off everybody instantly loved it.
Raghuveer Yadav sings the title song. Any special reason for choosing Yadav considering he is not a singer (neither in the movie cast)?
That's a misconception. Raghuveer Yadav is a phenomenal singer. I have known him very closely during Lagaan. I always used to feel that he should be looking at singing as a career option as he is a great singer and that stayed in my mind. Secondly, when we sat on the first song with Vishal, the way Vishal has composed the melody its very earthy, very rural but with a contemporary orchestration. I suggested Raghuveer, and Vishal was instantly excited. The song has come out much better than what we had imagined.
How was it to work with Samita?
It was great working with her, I would rather have an actress on the sets without unnecessary baggage or attitude and Samita was like that, she was very ready to be molded.
In the Tamil version, the primary character of the movie moves from South India to Australia. But in Ramji… you have changed both the locations. Why did you have to change the setting?
Lets not look at it location wise, we've just thought about it practically. Essentially I am talking about a guy from the deep interiors of Bihar migrating to a different city, for example take Mumbai. The cultural complexes and the problems of adjustments would be the same. So no matter what the location, I don't think that would have affected the story dramatically. But UK did offer some great visual appeal. Though the cultural differences are very pronounced in UK, the acceptability of niche or rather segmented communities there is much more enhanced. The country is open to multiculturalism. What I mean is that it is possible for a South Indian or a Bihari or a Sardar to land up in UK and find a lot of other members from the same community.
What is your recipe for an entertaining film?
For a film that keeps the audiences engaged the conflicts have to be real. The conflict has to be something that the audiences can identify with. It shouldn't be deliberate. Then obviously you have your spices to add to it, deeper emotions and soul-stirring music. But the content narrated in an engaging manner is a must.
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Ramji Londonwaley: Promo Watch
