Manu Rewal and Konkona Sen Sharma. Picture by Aranya Sen

They are friends, not twins. Where and how they differ would be one of the key points in Manu Rewal?s curiously named film, Chai Pani Etc, starring Konkona Sen Sharma in a double role. The film is due for release on March 11.

?You must have noticed that in government offices, someone or the other is always asking for chai, pani. So, I thought this would be an interesting title which could capture the spirit of the film,? says Rewal, in town to promote the film.

At the core of the story is an idealist film-maker (played by stage actor Zafar Karachiwala) who runs into censor trouble with his documentary and is forced to deal with the corruption in the lower rungs of the bureaucracy.

Then, there?s his fashion designer girlfriend who wants to emigrate, a social worker he is attracted to and a self-indulgent friend at ease with the corruption around.

While Konkona shoulders the double roles of Zafar?s twin attractions, Channel [V] VJ Gaurav Kapoor plays the hedonist friend.

Chai Pani Etc takes a comic look at the serious issues, claims it maker. ?The film is about the coming of age of a bunch of young people. And the four characters represent four different options young people may have,? he says. ?But nobody is entirely black or white. Though the film starts off with stereotypical characters, you get to see different shades in them as the film progresses.?

With a Rs 2-crore budget, Chai Pani Etc has been shot in sync-sound and on location in Jaisalmer.

?It is a beautiful place and is more feudal. It shows a different India than the other cities,? explains the film-maker who has also penned the script.

Incidentally, Rewal himself had run into censor trouble last year with the film and is seven months behind the scheduled release. The Chennai censor board insisted on chopping off a ?vital scene? showing Konkona smoking a cigarette.

?I had great fun doing it because I never thought I would ever get the chance to do a double role. Chai Pani is a satirical comedy and it does not really explore the psyche of the characters. It?s rather about the way corruption seeps in at one level and how acceptable it is for the characters,? says Konkona, currently shooting for mother Aparna Sen?s 15, Park Avenue.

Donning the double role had been made considerably easy for her with a ?well-delineated? script, admits Konkona.

?There was a major distinction between the two characters in the script. Besides, we worked on the looks with the costume designer, make-up artiste and hair stylist. We also had rehearsals and workshops before the shoot,? she adds.