Double Engine Review: When Telugu Cinema Went Old West and Iranian
The year was 2014, I was in the third semester of my undergrad course of Mass Communication and was beginning to explore world cinema. This brought about a taste for a new kind of film that had a story to tell with a never seen before visual. But world cinema told stories about the world and not India, and definitely not in Telugu. I was only a tourist in that world. There were some popular Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam cinema that were being made with that thought process but a lack of such Telugu films were always blatant. It was at this time that I first heard of a film called Sheeshmahal that was being made by Rohit & Sasi, a rooted Telugu film. I waited with hope that we’d finally have a film that I could call my own and invite the world to see it. A couple of years later, I heard the jukebox that was released by Tapeloop Records, and instantly became a fan of Vivek Sagar music. It also kept the hope alive that we’ll see an exceptional film that carried this music. That wait continues but this morning, I finally walked into a theater and watched the title card of “A Film By Rohit & Sasi” on the big screen.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about their new directorial venture Double Engine. It is the story of Danny, who migrated to Hyderabad and drives an auto on rent. He comes back to his village to celebrate his 21st birthday with his two friends — Gopi and Narsing. They have put up a hoarding that reads “Birthday Wishes From Best Friends. Happy Birthday Danny” that becomes a reason for tension between Danny’s gang and their rivals. The filmmakers capture the environment that the story is set in perfectly. Its arid, brown and dusty-ness can be felt in your seats and there are details like when an old woman carries a pot of water, she also carries a strainer with it probably because clean drinking water isn’t easily available. The film is built around the conversations — everyday, regular things about money, family, women, love. They all aspire, and they’ve tried to find their footing but the laziness of the world they live in seeps into their being as well. Danny is the exception — he got out, he makes money, takes care of his family and still wants to grow. “Danny Cabs” he says, smiling, looking up at the sky. These characters are endearing for they have that quality only childhood friendships have. They are honest with each other, don’t skip a beat in putting the other in place but they will still accompany you in your craziest ask. The film takes a turn when a friend spots a rare two-headed snake, colloquially called a Double Engine; which has a huge market in the black market. Danny’s ideas and connections in Hyderabad makes him convince the friends to go with him. They find a snake catcher to help them, and the rest of the film makes up for what this mission does for them.
The cinematography is one that we don’t see in our movies that commonly. Handheld camera movements, very close up shots of people, long clips of simply following someone who is walking and the classic montages of a city with tilted shots make up most of the film. The audience are almost never too far away from the characters and slow motion is used in a satire-ish way to emphasize the absurdity of the situation. Real winner is however Vivek Sagar’s music that scales between a Western cowboy sound to Ilaiyaraaja’s earlier work of disco music to Vivek Sagar’s very own rap sound.
I don’t think Rohit & Sasi got the memo on objectifying women and body shaming. I also hold a qualm with the film that after establishing these rather absurd situations, they don’t dwell any deeper into the why of it all. Having said that, I enjoyed the bizzare, eclectic and the pointless-ness of the film. I’d recommend watching this film with a bunch of friends while you kick back a few on a lazy afternoon and it’ll make for a fun laugh. Afterall, it is quite camp.