Double XL, Review: Dreams double XL, reality check less than M

What happens when two ambitious women, of XL size, meet, after their dreams are all but shattered? They help each other and everything becomes alright. Exactly. That is the trouble with Double XL…it is so predictable. Moreover, there is considerable difference in the sizes of Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureishi, with Sonakshi appearing to be L against Huma’s definite XL, maybe even XXL. They needed someone on par with Huma, with a minor variation, if it came to that, not Sonakshi Sinha. Having said that, it is rather bold of Sonakshi to accept the part, showing no fear of getting type-cast. Huma, for the record, is a producer on the film. It is a fun romp that is funny in parts, but too didactic in other parts. Films with oversize women have been made before, and this film had to really deliver to stand out. It falls short. Let’s say Double XL is an M film.

Two women who live not far from each other, one in Delhi, the other in Meerut, are the victims of discrimination based on their girth. Rajshree Trivedi from Meerut is rejected by suitor after suitor on account of her size, though no family that comes with a marriage proposal actually says so. But they all convey it, but not in so many words. Far from getting married, Rajshree is bent on pursuing a career as a sports journalist, specialising in cricket. She even dreams of dancing with true-life Indian cricket star Shikhar Dhawan. Her parents leave no stone unturned to find her a match, but nothing works. Her mother finally manages to find someone who is himself of a plus size, and she insists that Rajshree marry him. Just about then, Rajshree sees an opportunity to catch the dream she has been chasing. Now she is in a dilemma.

Saira Khanna (Muslim first name) from Delhi is a fashion designer who has had a tough time in her specialised fashion studies, where fellow students mocked her by saying, “Look at this fat girl. How will she design clothes for others when she cannot maintain her own figure?” She is in a relationship with Viren, who is two-timing her with her best friend, and she breaks-up with him when she finds out. Her doting brother works for a TV channel, and together, they plan to shoot a fashion video of her designs and show it to the higher-ups, which might give her the much-needed breakthrough. But they do not have that kind of money. A cinematographer is arranged, but a director is required, to work free, since they have no money to pay him. Someone is approached, but he humiliates them and leaves in a huff. What rubs salt into her wounds is the fact that she has got a grant to go to London and shoot her video, but they all must apply for a visa that very day, including the yet-to-be-found director. It is the same channel where Rajshree has just been told that she need not even audition as the selection is already made. Saira rushes to the wash-room, sobbing and tears flow from her eyes. Suddenly somebody throws a box of tissues from one of the cubicles, to help wipe her tears. It is Rajshree. The two have found soul-mates.

On board are a director who has his second outing (Double XL?), Satnam Ramani, and a writer, Mudassar Aziz, who has directed at least four films and is a producer on this one. Both departments leave something to be desired. Sasha Singh has collaborated on the screenplay, which is weak. A series of coincidences dot the graph of the film. Granted that co-incidence is an accepted cinematic trope, but its use must be in discretion, rather than in abundance. The other angle is that of predictability. Except for the fact that Rajshree will end up directing Saira’s video, there is little by way of surprise, an essential part of story-telling. Ok, so the placard at the air-port, with the name reading Shaira Khan is a laugh, but one cannot count too many such moments. What do you expect when you put two young men and two young, albeit plus size, women together, after the two have opted out of marriage to others? No rocket science is required to tell you that they will fall in love. In 2022, how is it that nobody asks for a full figure picture of the girl, instead of discovering that she is “too healthy” on when he goes to see her?

It is not indicated what efforts, if any, did the two ladies make, to get rid of their extra kilos. Likewise, it is not clear how they get so many foreigners and Indians living abroad to model for them. We all know it is for a cause, but surely some hard convincing is still required. Double XL starts on the wrong foot, following Shikhar Dhawan from behind, as if some killer looks hero or a macho villain will be revealed. Dhawan is neither. This is followed by a ball-room dance featuring Rajshree and Shikhar. Again, Shikhar is a very bad choice for the part. He has a very rustic, earthy image, that can be associated with wrestling or kabaddi, not with ball-room dancing. Yes, it was a dream, but so what? Another scene, in which former Indian captain and cricketing legend Kapil Dev comes for an interview, is shot with his head in the dark, as he approaches Rajshree. But we already know it is Kapil Dev who is coming, walking in slo-mo, so why the suspense and the fanfare? And if their line producer had lied to get Kapil to come for this interview, why did he conceal this fact from Rajshree till after they had greeted each other? The whole interview could have easily fizzled out, due to his foolishness, when Rajshree was caught by surprise, unaware of the ruse. The scene of condom delivery was well-conceived. However, the writers went after it hammer and tongs, and reduced its impact.

In a cost cutting exercise, the director shoots all the scenes of Rajshree, her parents and her grandmother, on one location, with any of them hardly moving, besides the mother. All of them ham, with the mother made to shriek. The manner in which the owner of the TV channel has a change of heart is totally unconvincing. We see the designs of Saira take shape, but there is no footage of Rajshree on the job. She gets the job alright, but how about a minute of footage of her on the cricket field? Yes, we get the point early on, about discrimination based on size, but why the proselytising and the didactic overdose? You don’t have to stoop to saying, “These men ask us our bra sizes. Imagine if we were to ask them about ‘their size’?” And the reference is not to shirt or trouser sizes. The efforts to instill Tamil into the dialogue as well as in songs appears highly contrived and irrelevant. Double XL is a female buddy-buddy film that metamorphoses into a buddy1-guy1, buddy2-guy2 foursome.

Sonakshi Sinha as Saira Khanna and Huma Qureshi as Rajshree Trivedi have a ball. There is good chemistry between the two and they have no inhibitions about their bodies. The roles were definitely challenging, and they scored well. Zaheer Iqbal as Zorawar (Zorawar is not a Muslim name and the constant play on its abbreviation is irritating; Rehmani is a Muslim surname) Rehmani, the driver who turns out to be the line producer, makes extra efforts to look cute, but has limited talent to show here. His dialogue delivery needs to be worked on. Mahat Raghavendra as Srikanth Sreevardhan, the cinematographer who is graduating from wild-life cinematography in Brazil to shooting a fashion parade in London, looks lost, which is part of his persona. But his numerous Tamil interjections were totally uncalled for. Dolly Singh has a small role as Meera, Saira's friend, and does okay. Shubha Khote as Rajshree's grand-mother and Kanwaljit Singh as her father, hopelessly type-cast, are their usual, confident selves. Rajshree’s mother is made to go over the top, but remains in character right through. Her name could not be found out. In support are Kay Eluvian, Cecile, Seana Momsen, Sankalp Gupta and Karis Pentecost.           

Cinematography by Milind Jog employs all standard lighting and shooting techniques and captures some robust colours. Film editing by Abhishek Kumar Anand fails to impart pace, a necessary ingredient. However, it would be unfair to blame him alone. The script and direction have so much of ho hum that there would have been little that he could do. Double XL fails to XL (excel), partly because it fails to XLerate (accelerate) and largely because of a thin storyline and a loose screenplay. In terms of impact, the film remains on the ‘healthy’, lean side, not on the fat, plus size side, though fat means higher count in this case.

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQmQy-Wu72g