text: Ramji Narayanaswami Iyer , a naive and docile Malayali brahmin  cook from Palakkad, dreams of marrying his sister Bhagyam  to a good family, as they are orphans and it becomes his sole responsibility. As per convention he has to shell out dowry for the marriage and somehow falls short of the agreed sum. Incidentally the groom's family happens to admire the food cooked by Ramji and plan to send him to Australia as a cook for a multi millionaire Australian based Indian family. In return he has to send part of his salary as compensation for the dowry he owes. Unfortunately, the millionaire dies of indigestion the day Ramji arrives, leaving him jobless and without his passport and visa, which had been stolen. 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 on his heels. Ivan , Badri's cunning lawyer friend, explains to him that the only way out is marriage with an Australian citizen. Ramji reluctantly agrees for a fake marriage with Ivan's fiancee Damayanthi , a free-spirited motorbiker of Sri Lankan Tamil Christian background and they get married over the weekend. For all these gimmicks Ivan charges heavy fees from Badri and deposits in the joint account of his with Damayanthi. Ramji converts to Christianity, becoming Robert, and then moves into Damayanthi's house. The police believe this is a fake marriage and decide to refer the matter to the consulate. Constant stalking by the police forces the couple to stay together to avoid detection by authority. Damayanthi is deeply troubled with the rural mannerisms of Ramji. To break the ice, Ramji cooks delicacies for Damayanthi & wins her heart. Over a period of time Damayanthi realizes that Ivan is fooling around with her and doesn't love her. Meanwhile Ramji is not able to send the dowry installments as promised & his sister's in-laws throw her out. Damayanthi handles this situation smartly, sends all the money received for the fake marriage in their joint account to her, and makes sure her long-time friend takes care of her. In their confrontation with the consulate, 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 the couple starts off at a restaurant. Actors Kamal Haasan and Jayaram come to inaugurate their restaurant and wish the couple luck.