For many of us habituated to theatrical viewing of mainstream cinema, a film occasionally warrants us embracing an indie approach. There have been a handful of indie Telugu films in recent years, mirroring subcultures from pockets of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Most of these indie films, with an occasional exception, have still been within the broad mainstream framework in terms of having a few recognisable actors or a familiar storytelling structure. Rohit Penumatsa and Camp Sasi, aka Rohit and Sasi, who have spearheaded an indie movement in the digital space for more than a decade, push the envelope further with Double Engine, their first theatrical release.
Double Engine has a mix of amateurs and theatre actors playing characters who hail from an arid hamlet in Telangana. The broad storyline is simple. Danny (Muni Myatari), who makes a living as a shared auto driver in Hyderabad, goes back home to Tatipalli in Medak district to celebrate his 21st birthday. In a drunken stupor, his childhood friend Gopi (Bachi Ajith) tells him that he spotted a double-headed snake. Capturing the snake and selling it can fetch them a fortune. In smuggling parlance, such snakes are referred to as ‘double engine’. Accompanied by another friend Narsing (Rohit Narasimha), they take the help of snake charmer Mouli (Raju Shivaratri) and hope to realise their entrepreneurial dreams.
