Double XL Movie Review: A Movie About an Important Issue Without a Clear Message

Cast: Huma Qureshi, Sonakshi Sinha, Zaheer Iqbal, Mahat Raghavendra

Director: Satram Ramani

Producer: Bhushan Kumar, Huma Qureshi, Krishan Kumar, Ashwin Varde

Writer: Mudassar Aziz

Duration: 2 hours 8 minutes

Language: Hindi

Since women being judged is an eternal norm, we are still making movies about issues like body shaming women in 2022.

Double XL is a story of two overweight women trying hard to achieve their dreams. In India especially, obesity is a relevant issue that could have been tackled in a dynamic and hard-hitting way on screen. Double XL has a fantastic ensemble of actors, but despite its attempts at sensibility, it still unnecessarily clings to outdated notions of courtship and romance.

The 30-year-old overweight Rajshri played by Huma Qureshi is a typical rural representation of Indian women (at least as how portrayed in most movies). Rajshri is a smart and ambitious Meerut girl obsessed with a dream to become a sports presenter. On the other hand, Sonakshi Sinha plays the role of Saira, a fashion designer with a strong sense of urbanity. 

Movie begins with the dream of Rajshri dancing with the great cricketer Shikhar Dhawan. A cricket enthusiast, Rajshri is being pushed by her mother to get married and settle down. Rajshri’s weight brings her rejection for the rishtas and also her dream job. Meanwhile, Saira wants to begin a fashion label of her own. 

They got along well in terms of purpose and relatability. This relationship has been accelerated for the purposes of a laborious story far too conveniently. For a shoot in London, Saira wants a director, and Rajshri's unassuming social media presence wins her over. It's much too silly to be believed. However, not all is lost in this. The two get along, and although while the class gap is never really explored, the inclination for self-doubt effectively covers it up.

There are many structural aspects in Double XL that are appealing, still practically all of them revolve around Qureshi's much more developed and nuanced persona, which includes the guy she ends up falling for. That so, the two men who play the love interests in this movie are inventive. These are after all men who are content to be second-class citizens to women and their ambitions, but in a movie that wants to give women agency while simultaneously making them the object of a kind male gaze, their desire to find love in a transactional relationship comes across as hollow and possibly unnecessary.

And then there is Rajshri's star-struck encounter with a legendary cricket player Kapil Dev, in which she fangirls to the point where all of her glorified sporting prowess is thrown out the window. So what sets her apart from the slim girls that the film and she want to criticize?  Major stereotyping with no depth.

Being overweight drags you into more drama in life than just your career, believe me. It practically affects more of the micro aspects of your life in addition to the macro. The movie had a massive potential to give out a strong, clear, and compelling message about how to deal with body shaming but it rather focuses more on the stereotypes we already know exists in our society. Moreover, it doesn’t ideally cater to modern society as well partially.

Women have outgrown today every barrier set on them and are shining bright in any industry you name. Body shaming is not just for obese women. It equally does exist for being too skinny or flat-chested or having a dark skin tone for women. Given the title and trailer of the movie, it was expected to showcase issues of overweight women in a relatable, refreshing, real, and rational way, which didn’t come through or comprehend exactly. 

Having said that, Double XL is not a total fiasco. It has its ups and downs. There would have been much to talk about if the movie had managed to hold down a plot that was more than just a patronizing lecture and explored the class conflict that was so simply glossed over. Instead, this is mediocre fare that will eventually reach mediocre, obvious climaxes. Although it's not entirely poor, it could have been better.

Liked this review? Read an author's take on the movie Maja Ma here.