Double XL Movie Review: Sonakshi Sinha & Huma Qureshi's Film Fails To Fit Your Expectations

Story

Double XL opens in Meerut where we are introduced to a plus-sized Rajshri (Huma Qureshi) whose dream of enjoying a ballroom dance with cricketer Hardik Pandya gets shattered when her mother pulls her back to reality.

Rajshri who aspires to be a sports presenter, shoots and edits her own videos hoping that she would get noticed someday. Meanwhile, her pesky mother (Alka Kaushal) is worried about her getting rejected by prospective suitors because she is a 'little too healthy'. Elsewhere, Shaira Khanna (Sonakshi Sinha), a fashion designer dreams of starting her own label.

Soon, Rajshri travels to Delhi for a interview with a leading channel but gets rejected because she doesn't meet their criteria of having the quintessential perfect look. On the other hand, Shaira discovers that her boyfriend Viren is cheating on her. The mess in her personal life takes a toil on her work as she finds herself without a director for a fashion video in London which is supposed to be a big-ticket opportunity for her.

When Rajshri and Shaira's paths cross in a washroom while they are howling in agony, they discover that they could be of help to each other. Rajshri agrees to direct Shaira's fashion video and the latter becomes a ticket for her to visit London to confront the CEO of the sports channel which had refused to audition her. The duo is joined by a Tamil cameraman Shree (Mahat Raghavendra) who loves his stash of weed as much as speaking in Hindi and a line-producer Zorawar (Zaheer Iqbal) whose flirting skills include saying, 'Zo, Zaa, Zu' umpteen times.

The rest of the film revolves around how Rajshri and Shaira prove that 'too big' is just the right size when it comes to dreams as well.

Direction

While the idea of Double XL might sound intriguing on paper, writers Mudassar Aziz and Sasha Singh simply fail to weave a moving story out of it. More than that, certain elements in the plot too, seem to be outdated. For example, Shaira's decision to start a clothing brand for all sizes is supposed to be a revolutionary move when in real life, there are already some labels who have been serving this purpose.

Most of the conflicts in the film are solved by 'happy coincidences' taking away some of the steam. Be it Rajshri bagging an interview with the long-haired cricket legend Kapil Dev or her chance meeting with the CEO of the sports channel on a street!

The loopholes in the script are as distracted as Sonakshi Sinha's piercing on her lip. Her character Shaira is supposed to be on a tight budget in London but we see her and her gang living in a picturesque mansion and splurging money on junk food and 'drunken nights'. The scattered screenplay barely gives director Satramm Ramani any scope to stitch an engrossing film out of it.

Performances

Huma Qureshi as the girl with 'big' dreams from Meerat is the only reason why Double XL keeps you a little invested. Despite some flimsy writing, the actress makes sure to leave at least some impression in the scenes which otherwise lack emotional depth. Sonakshi Sinha delivers an inconsistent performance. Barring a few moments, there isn't much about the actress to cheer for.

After a sincere debut in 2019 film Notebook, one wonders what's wrong with Zaheer Iqbal in Double XL as his act ends up as atrocious instead of charming! Tollywood actor Mahat Raghavendra makes a decent debut in the Hindi space with this Huma Qureshi-Sonakshi Sinha starrer even though there isn't much scope for him in the film.

Technical Aspects

Milind Jog's cinematography captures the colourful, lively landscape of London in an interesting way and breathes some life in an otherwise drab film. Abhishek Anand's editing goes well with the narrative of the movie.

Music

Barring Sohail Sen-Javed Ali's 'Tumse Mili Doon' which makes for a soothing hear with its Tamil and Hindi lyrics on a silent night, none of the songs in Double XL succeed in winning a place in the heart.

Verdict

There's a scene in Double XL where Rajshri (Huma Qureshi) and Shaira (Sonakshi Sinha) go on an ordering spree at a fast food joint. When the British server exclaims, 'Wow, someone's hungry," Shaira tells him, "Oh honey, we are just getting started."

Sadly, Double XL which promises you an entertaining platter, ends up serving a 'plus size' disappointment instead.