Cash and Curry
Encyclopedia
"Cash and Curry" is the third episode of series 1 of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
. It was first screened on 22 September 1981.
arrives to pick Del Boy
up from a Dinner and Dance he had attended. While there, Rodney is introduced by Del to Vimmal Malik, an India
n man who is looking for business opportunities, much to Del's interest. Outside, the brothers become involved in a dispute between Vimmal and Mr Ram, a man who seems to have a grudge against Vimmal. During the fight, Ram's colleague, another India
n gentleman, tries to intimidate Del with faked Karate
moves, but Del distracts him and hits him in the groin
.
Further investigation causes Del and Rodney to discover that Malik and Ram are from rival families, each of whom makes claim to an ancient statue, of the Hindu God Kubera
(who Del originally believed to be "one of India's premier wicketkeepers"), of great sentimental and financial value. Malik has the statue, but Ram wants it and informs Del that he is prepared to pay £4,000 for it. He is unable to make such an offer directly however, due to the caste
system preventing him from speaking to Malik directly. Sensing an opportunity to profit, Del agrees to act as a messanger for Ram and Vimmal.
Del speaks to Malik, informing him that Ram is prepared to pay £2,000, with his intention being to keep the other £2,000 for himself. Malik eventually accepts the offer, but is unwilling to hand over the statue before receiving the cash. A problem emerges when it becomes clear that Ram is equally unwilling to handover the money before receiving the statue. Rodney at this point attempts to convince Del to let the deal go, but Del is unrelenting and decides to raise the £2,000 himself by selling off unwanted or unneeded items from the flat. Eventually he succeeds in convincing Rodney to go along with the plan.
The money is duly raised and paid to Malik, and the statue handed over. When Del Boy and Rodney go to the restaurant Ram supposedly owns, however, they find that he is gone - and that he does not own the restaurant and never did. The waiter there, who is the real owner of the restaurant, informs him that the cheque provided by Ram bounced, and that enquiries as to his accommodation revealed Ram had left there as well, leaving three weeks rent unpaid. Adding to the Trotter's woes, the owner examines the statue and reveals that they cost just £17 in Portobello Road
. Realising the extent of their loss, and that they cannot report the pair to the police, as Del and Rodney leave the restaurant dejected and without options, Rodney unsuccessfully tries to cheer Del up.
Meanwhile, Malik and Ram joke to each other about the stupidity of the Trotter Brothers in falling for the scam, and it emerges that they are professional con artists who have successfully carried this out in various other cities (Cardiff
, Bristol
, Southampton
, and North
and South London
), as they travel to their next destination to try it again.
Del and Rodney attempt to confront Malik at his home, but find that he is also gone. Rodney jokingly suggests heading to a curry house, and Del angrily throws the statue at Rodney. The camera freezes as the statue is still in the air.
: Money
Note: In the VHS/DVD versions, Pink Floyd's "Money" is replaced by another piece of music.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. It was first screened on 22 September 1981.
Synopsis
RodneyRodney
-Surnames:* Caesar Rodney , lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware* Caesar A. Rodney , lawyer and U.S. Senator from Delaware* Caleb Rodney , merchant and Governor of Delaware...
arrives to pick Del Boy
Del Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
up from a Dinner and Dance he had attended. While there, Rodney is introduced by Del to Vimmal Malik, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n man who is looking for business opportunities, much to Del's interest. Outside, the brothers become involved in a dispute between Vimmal and Mr Ram, a man who seems to have a grudge against Vimmal. During the fight, Ram's colleague, another India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n gentleman, tries to intimidate Del with faked Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
moves, but Del distracts him and hits him in the groin
Groin
In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. This is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a painful injury sustained by straining the hip adductor muscles...
.
Further investigation causes Del and Rodney to discover that Malik and Ram are from rival families, each of whom makes claim to an ancient statue, of the Hindu God Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
(who Del originally believed to be "one of India's premier wicketkeepers"), of great sentimental and financial value. Malik has the statue, but Ram wants it and informs Del that he is prepared to pay £4,000 for it. He is unable to make such an offer directly however, due to the caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
system preventing him from speaking to Malik directly. Sensing an opportunity to profit, Del agrees to act as a messanger for Ram and Vimmal.
Del speaks to Malik, informing him that Ram is prepared to pay £2,000, with his intention being to keep the other £2,000 for himself. Malik eventually accepts the offer, but is unwilling to hand over the statue before receiving the cash. A problem emerges when it becomes clear that Ram is equally unwilling to handover the money before receiving the statue. Rodney at this point attempts to convince Del to let the deal go, but Del is unrelenting and decides to raise the £2,000 himself by selling off unwanted or unneeded items from the flat. Eventually he succeeds in convincing Rodney to go along with the plan.
The money is duly raised and paid to Malik, and the statue handed over. When Del Boy and Rodney go to the restaurant Ram supposedly owns, however, they find that he is gone - and that he does not own the restaurant and never did. The waiter there, who is the real owner of the restaurant, informs him that the cheque provided by Ram bounced, and that enquiries as to his accommodation revealed Ram had left there as well, leaving three weeks rent unpaid. Adding to the Trotter's woes, the owner examines the statue and reveals that they cost just £17 in Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
. Realising the extent of their loss, and that they cannot report the pair to the police, as Del and Rodney leave the restaurant dejected and without options, Rodney unsuccessfully tries to cheer Del up.
Meanwhile, Malik and Ram joke to each other about the stupidity of the Trotter Brothers in falling for the scam, and it emerges that they are professional con artists who have successfully carried this out in various other cities (Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, and North
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
), as they travel to their next destination to try it again.
Del and Rodney attempt to confront Malik at his home, but find that he is also gone. Rodney jokingly suggests heading to a curry house, and Del angrily throws the statue at Rodney. The camera freezes as the statue is still in the air.
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Jason David Jason Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack... |
Del Boy |
| Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies... |
Rodney |
| Renu Setna Renu Setna Renu Setna is a Pakistani actor, perhaps best known for his appearance as the shopkeeper Mr. Kittel in In Sickness and in Health.Setna made an appearance in the british BBC Sictom Only Fools And Horses, in the episode "Cash and Curry", where he played a con-artist who cons Del and Rodney out of Two... |
Mr. Ram |
| Ahmed Khalil | Vimmal Malik |
| Babar Bhatti Babar Bhatti Babar Bhatti is a British actor of Pakistani origin. He was probably best known for the part of Punkah Wallah Rumzan in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum, his first role.... |
Restaurant manager |
Episode concept
The idea for the script was based purely on the name of the episode "Cash and Curry", from that the script was devised.Music
Pink FloydPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
: Money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
Note: In the VHS/DVD versions, Pink Floyd's "Money" is replaced by another piece of music.