Maryada Ramanna

Maryada Ramanna is a 2010 Telugu comedy drama directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote it with his cousin S. S. Kanchi, and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. Comedian-turned-hero Sunil stars with Saloni and Nagineedu, with music by M. M. Keeravani. Rajamouli made it as a deliberately small film straight after the epic Magadheera, and it became one of the hits of 2010 and was remade in five languages. It was released on 23 July 2010.

What the story is about

The film is inspired by Buster Keaton’s 1923 silent comedy Our Hospitality, retold against the factional violence of Rayalaseema. In 1982, a feud between two families in the village of Gandikota ends with deaths on both sides, and one family’s patriarch, Ramineedu, swears to kill any surviving male heir of the other. That heir, Ramu, grows up in the city knowing nothing about it. In 2010, jobless and broke, he learns he has inherited land in Gandikota and takes a train there to sell it. On the way he befriends Aparna, whose father, Ramineedu, warmly invites him to stay. Ramineedu’s family soon discovers who he is, but their own tradition forbids shedding blood inside the house. So they must wait until Ramu steps outside, and Ramu, once he overhears them, resolves never to leave. The comedy of a guest who cannot go home is the whole film.

Cast

• Sunil as Ramu
• Saloni as Aparna
• Nagineedu as Ramineedu, a role he reprised in the Tamil and Malayalam remakes
• Supreeth and Prabhakar as Ramineedu’s sons Mallasuri and Baireddy, and Brahmaji as their cousin Srikanth
• Rao Ramesh, Anuj Gurwara and Subbaraya Sharma in supporting roles
• Ravi Teja as the voice of Ramu’s talking bicycle

How it was made

Rajamouli wanted to retell Our Hospitality in his own way and found that its copyright had expired. He told Idlebrain.com that he chose Maryada Ramanna during the Magadheera shoot because, after a year and a half of physically draining work, he did not want another exhausting film straight away; the smaller film gave the team time to “recharge our batteries”. He even revealed the plot at the June 2009 launch at Ramanaidu Studios, to keep expectations in check after Magadheera. Ram Prasad was the cinematographer.

Music

Keeravani’s soundtrack was launched at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad, where Dasari Narayana Rao released the audio and the launch was webcast live. Keeravani won the Nandi Award for Best Male Playback Singer for “Telugammayi”.

Release and box office

The film opened on 23 July 2010 to positive reviews. Idlebrain.com reported a first-week share of ₹10.58 crore in India after tax, and about ₹1 crore share from its first weekend in the United States. Lists of the year’s top films by Sify and The New Indian Express placed it among the biggest Telugu hits of 2010.

What critics said

Raghu Chaitanya of CNN-IBN thought the climax was the only drawback, writing that Rajamouli “emerges a winner showing that he can make good movies without huge budgets and big star cast”. Sify called it “worth a watch” with “a judicious mix of fun, thrill and suspense”, and Rediff (3 out of 5) found it “thoroughly enjoyable”, praising Sunil, Saloni and Nagineedu. The Times of India gave it two and a half stars but admired the sets, cinematography and Keeravani’s tunes.

Awards and remakes

Maryada Ramanna won four Nandi Awards: Best Popular Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Villain for Nagineedu, Best Male Playback Singer for Keeravani and a Special Jury Award for Sunil. It was remade in Kannada, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, making it Rajamouli’s second most-remade film after Vikramarkudu.

Where to watch Maryada Ramanna

We do not have a confirmed streaming platform for Maryada Ramanna on file. The OTT details on this page will be updated when a platform’s own listing confirms it.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Maryada Ramanna and the interviews, reviews and trade reports it cites, linked above; Wikidata; our own cast and crew records.