Double Engine
Director: Chandra Mohan
Cast: Suman Ranganath, Ashok, Chikkanna, and Prabhu Mundkur
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Coming from the director of Bombay Mittai, one can expect just mindless fun from Chandra Mohan’s second film, Double Engine. The plot in short is filled with double entendre dialogues. Double Engine is about three friends Ashok, Sunila and Krishna played by Ashok, Prabhu Mundkur and Chikkanna. In an urge to make a fast buck, they end up leaving their village to settle in Bengaluru. Joining the trio is Suma (Suman Ranganath), a widow who runs a chit fund.
She wants to escape from the wrath of villagers, and therefore lands up in the city. Will the four be successful in their attempt to make money, is a question the film seeks to answer even as the characters encounter problems couched in humour. A stereotypical plot, the film is heavy with slapstick comedy with elements of love, drama and emotions sprinkled all over. While the external circumstances are serious, the film characters, however, never take themselves seriously. And that perhaps is the film’s greatest strength. Having said that, even though Chandra Mohan plays around with a simple plot, he loses out when it comes to the screenplay – it runs out of steam.
It has spot on performances from the lead cast including Chikkanna, Suman Ranganath, Ashok, Prabhu Mundkur and that keeps the viewers engaged. The four of them share a good on-screen chemistry and manage to give the audience a dose of laughter. While Dattanna shines in a short and sweet role, Sadhu Kokila, Achyuth Kumar and Shobhraj’s talents seem to be under used. Neither the film’s music nor the cinematography has much impact. Double Engine is a one-time watch, if you are only looking for reasons to laugh and pass time.