Ramji(Madhavan), a poor Palghat Brahmin cook, agrees to become the cook for a Tamil family in Australia, in order to meet the demands of his sister's husband's family. But he is left to fend for himself when the man who hires him dies unexpectedly, leaving him with no place to go. After losing his belongings(including his passport), he is taken in by a Tamil couple(Sriman and Anuhassan), who hire him as a cook in their eatery.Based on an idea of their friend Ivan, the couple ask Ramji to wed Damayanthi(Geethu), an Australian citizen, so that he can become a citizen too.

Nala Damayanthi succeeds in sustaining the comic momentum throughout without letting the pace flag. While the portions in Madhavan's village are rather quiet, the fun starts right from the moment he sets out on his voyage. The movie extracts a lot of mileage from the "fish out of water" theme and the film's biggest laughs come from these portions as Madhavan struggles to learn and adapt to an alien culture. His experiences in the plane and his explanation to the policeman, of the incident when he was performing the last rites for his father are hilarious(the Australian policeman shares equal credit for the latter since his incredulous reaction is right on the mark).

The screenplay(by Kamalhassan) has been cleverly fashioned and the means it takes to keep Madhavan in Australia are quite interesting. The policeman who is intent to nab Madhavan without his papers and later, the immigration authorities who want to prove that his marriage is a sham, are nice additions that translate into some funny sequences. Such clever additions, coupled with Madhavan's naievete and innocence ensure that we are kept smiling throughout.Thankfully, laughs are generated not by the usual gimmicks of mistaken identities but are mined from situations that do not automatically lend themselves to comedy.

Geethu gradually warming up to Madhavan is predictable and the actions that lead to it, like him taking care of her, are cliched. But the comedy element is never forgotten and this helps in keeping us involved in the proceedings. The visits of the immigration officials offer many laughs. Some unnecessary masala elements like fights creep into the movie after here and this has the effect of partially losing the down-to-earth quality evident until then. Thankfully there is no cinematic climax to round things off and the ending is relatively low-key(though Kamalhassan makes an appearance in his Chandiyar getup).

Madhavan unfortunately has Kamal's shadow hanging over him but does his best. He once again proves that comedy comes to him quite naturally though his Palghat Brahmin accent seems forced and is not always consistent. Geethu is spontaneous and is able to convey a lot of expressions through her large eyes. Sruthika makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-her appearance and is further hampered by poor characterization. I was never sure if she was engaged to someone else or wooing Madhavan. Sriman and Anuhassan succeed in conveying their good nature while Ivan makes a passable villain. Ramesh Vinayakam's songs are unremarkable.