This is a story of two plus-size women — one from the heartland of Uttar Pradesh and another from New Delhi — as they make their way through common perceptions of a beautiful woman. Starring Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi in the lead, Double XL has been directed by Satramm Ramani. Excerpts from a chat with Sonakshi and Huma at the trailer launch of the film releasing on November 4 at cinemas.

How did Double XL happen?

Huma Qureshi: It actually began at our house. Saqib (Saleem), Sonakshi, Zaheer (Iqbal), Mudassar (Aziz) and I were talking about putting on weight during Covid lockdown because we were staying at home and just eating. Mudassar said, ‘We should make a film with you two (Sonakshi and Huma) in the lead’. I said, let’s do it. So, if I or Sonakshi had said no, then the film would not have been made. And both of us have lived this reality.

When Sonakshi debuted in Dabangg or I debuted in Gangs of Wasseypur, people appreciated our acting but also made comments about our weight. I was like, what has that got to do with acting? As a performer, your direct relation is with your audience, not any cosmetic thing. I think girls have more pressure to look a certain way. And we talk so much about their looks that we’re not allowing them to develop their personalities and talent. For both Sona and me, this is a very personal thing. I get emotional when I watch the film or even the trailer because there’s a lot of us in the film too.

What is your health funda?

Sonakshi Sinha: Our funda is that you can be beautiful in any size. I have faced body shaming issues since my childhood because I was overweight, although I played sports. But I never based my confidence on the fact that I was overweight. There are different factors behind a person’s obesity.

There's acceptance in the South even if an actor is overweight or slim. But the Hindi film industry wants actors to look a certain way…

Huma Qureshi: There are two things to this. One is that, as an actor it is your duty to look the part that you’re playing, whether it is an athlete or a housewife. Otherwise the character won’t look relatable. The other thing is that people should live healthy. But this too much pressure on girls to look a certain way is not right.

How will the change happen?

Sonakshi Sinha: All of us have to bring in the change — the way we talk about women, write about women. I think the media should also do this responsibly.

Huma Qureshi: Yeah, because someone had written about me in my second film’s review that Huma Qureshi is lovely but she’s 5kg heavy to be a mainstream heroine. It hurt me a lot. Media has the power to change people’s mindset. So if the media shows acceptance and not write such things, there would be a change. And I’m not saying that it’s only the media, there needs to be a holistic approach towards this.

Did you ever miss out on any film because of your weight?

Sonakshi Sinha: I was told by a producer who was known to me and overweight himself, that if I don’t lose some more weight I’d lose that film. He said that after signing me for the film. But I stood my ground and told him that he was being unethical and I did the film. I shouldn’t have done the film. But that’s another topic.