Maryada Ramanna

A comedy set in an Indian village. Ramu grew up in the city, is mild and avoids a fight. After his father's death he goes back to the village to see to the family land. There is something he does not know: a blood feud began years ago between his family and another in the village, and the other side is waiting to kill him. Without learning any of it he becomes a guest in their house. At that point a rule comes into play. Hospitality is sacred to the family: a guest under their roof may not be touched. The men want to kill him and cannot do it inside the house. From there the film runs on a single idea: Ramu must not leave. One step into the yard and it is over; go near the door and they are all waiting. The scenes inside the house make the comedy: the dinner table, the bath, the roof, wedding preparations and a relationship beginning with the daughter of the house. The source is a film from the silent era; the picture in which Buster Keaton used the same idea is openly named as the inspiration. Sunil plays Ramu. Saloni Aswani is in the cast. S. S. Rajamouli directed. An entertaining choice for anyone who likes comedy built on an idea and Indian cinema. For a viewer expecting realism, the rule is deliberately exaggerated and the film uses it as the engine of the joke.