Summary
On Wednesday afternoon, the official trailer for Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha’s upcoming comedy Double XL was released. The film is a lighthearted look at two plus-sized women dealing with societal perceptions of weight and body image. As stated in the film’s summary, it is “a tale of friendship and fantasies filled with masti.” The trailer begins with Huma, dressed in a pink gown, at what appears to be a fancy gala, when she is approached by a suave-looking Shikhar Dhawan, who requests a dance.
But when she is rudely woken up by her angry mother, she realises it was all a dream. The small-town girl aspires to be a sports presenter in Delhi, but she is told she is “too healthy” for the job. Sonakshi, a fashion designer, is on the other end of the line and discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her. The two meet at a low point in their lives while crying in a restroom (cliche?). The two then decide to take matters into their own hands and relocate to London, deciding to challenge the world’s standard of “normalcy” for people.
Cast : Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi, Zaheer Iqbal, Kay Eluvian, Seana Momsen, Sankalp Gupta, Karis Pentecost, Florbella Francisco-pedro, Al Groves, Sinead Hegarty, Jenna Kerns, Cher Myra, Eve-Yasmine Saoud-Easton, Moa Wikberg
Director : Satram Ramani
Stars : ⭐️⭐️½
Positive : Fans reacted positively to the trailer, with many praising the chemistry between the two leads. “I’m excited to see them both at the same,” one fan posted. Others praised the film’s novel concept. Takes you on an emotional roller coaster experience. Tried to depict a taboo subject beautifully.
Negitive : The Plot could have been more engaging. The film discusses body shaming, but ironically, there is a scene in which they body shame ‘skinny’ girls while talking to each other, which may offend some viewers. The cliche-ridden script, which plays on the stereotype of women dealing with not only weight issues but also fighting for their dreams, is something you might have seen in a YouTube skit by now. The big screen provides an opportunity to delve deeper into the issues, but director Satram Ramani appears to be content with just scratching the surface. The plot revolves around “happy coincidences” that occur far too frequently for the women.
The Review :
The screenplay felt a little sloppy. The film was predictable but inspirational. The actors followed the instructions but instructions didn’t follow their way. The direction was subpar. We assume, to attract mass audience, one of the characters is portrayed as a South Indian man.
The film depicts the meeting of two girls who are both heartbroken as a result of their broken dreams and are facing the same challenges (body shaming, etc.). The comedy film deals with issues such as body image and women being body shamed. As the title suggests, Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha play two plus-sized women battling stereotypes while pursuing their dreams, and how they were unable to choose the job they desired due to their body shape and how it affects them.
Huma’s character aspires to be a cricket presenter, whereas Sonakshi’s character is passionate about being a designer and aspires to launch her own brand. The male characters i.e. Zaheer Iqbal and Kanwaljeet Singh enter their lives, their lives takes a U-turn as they help them pursue their dreams. It appears that the male characters were their lucky charm, assisting them in achieving their goals. They both run after their dreams in London and eventually achieve them after a lot of messy hard work. Jimmy Shergil had only about 10-15 minutes of screen time. Shikhar Dhawan makes a cameo, as expected, and the marvellous former captain of Team India, Kapil Dev, also makes an appearance! Overall, it was a okish experience which could have been better and not much predictable. However, It’s interesting to see how Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi, who have both endured bullying and fat-shaming throughout their careers, decided to appear in a film that is sophisticated and affluent. You have already seen the pivotal scenes in the trailer, and its message is not clearly recieved.
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