"Help Me Help You" includes a cameo by Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris (left), who lampoons the most famous play in Pittsburgh sports history — the Immaculate Reception — in a scene with Dr. Ravi Godse.

Dr. Ravi Godse is on call nearly 24/7 as a top internal medicine specialist in Pittsburgh, but he so loves writing, directing and starring in movies that he wants other people to love them, too.

He's so convinced that people will love his third independent film being released on DVD, "Help Me Help You," that he's offering a money-back guarantee and a personal, e-mailed apology if you don't.

"These days, we are too busy and the money's too tight," said Dr. Ravi, as he likes to be called in person and as the recurring character in his films. "That's why I thought the apology was heartfelt. It's like, 'I'm sorry, guys, that I couldn't entertain you.'"

Godse began making movies in 2004. "Help Me Help You," which is coming out on Tuesday, is the first to see a limited showing in theaters. It's being released on DVD by Monarch Home Entertainment and sold through Amazon and elsewhere, but Godse offers the money-back guarantee only to customers who buy it online directly from him at www.helpmehelpyoumovie.com.

Those who don't like the movie can request a refund by e-mail without having to explain why. "It's on the honor system," he said.

The guarantee is "funny, it's tongue-in-cheek. ... It's a great strategy," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office division of Hollywood.com and a movie business analyst.

"Help Me Help You" marks the first time the doctor hired famous TV and movie stars —Steve Guttenberg ("Police Academy," "Cocoon"), Richard Kind ("Spin City," "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), comedian Rondell Sheridan ("That's So Raven") and Sabrina Bryan, a former daytime soap star ("The Bold and the Beautiful") and member of The Cheetah Girls.

Guttenberg, who became a star along with Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rourke and Tim Daly in the low-budget "Diner," pooh-poohs the "plebeian mentality" that the movie isn't big or expensive enough to be good.

Godse said he shot it in 10 days with a budget of $200,000, "though we like to call it 'under a million' to sound more important."

The film includes a cameo by Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris, who lampoons the most famous play in Pittsburgh sports history — the Immaculate Reception — when he catches a cell phone thrown in his direction as he jogs past Godse and his angry wife in a park.

In "Help Me Help You," Godse is told he has cancer and has six months to live. He picks six people to help improve their lives and, in Godse's words, "screws it up."

"Then it turns out he's not dying, so now all these people are out to get him," Godse said.

Kind, a popular TV actor whose face is probably more recognizable than his name, said he came to admire Godse's ability to get his films made quickly and economically.

"Here's a guy who works I don't know how many hours a day in his medical practice, and he goes home and writes a movie?" Kind said. "The way they did it was both cost-effective and very inventive."

That inventive approach includes the money-back guarantee.

"He's crazy, but I think it's really noble," Guttenberg said. "And you know, I don't think anybody's going to ask for their money back. Though there's always that guy who's buying a suit and wearing it to a wedding and then bringing it back the next day."

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