Double XL review: Sonakshi Sinha-Huma Qureshi's film fits but isn’t queen size

3/5

Story:

Saira is a fashion designer who is trying to promote her brand across London. Rajshree, on the other hand, wants to be a cricket presenter. They both are stopped from pursuing their dreams because of their size. Will these double XL women be able to break through and break free?

Review:

Double XL is a glam film that has an artistic message. The movie, featuring Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles (thank God for female leads), is just like your school exam papers. The start has to be impressive and capture your interest right till the middle.

By the end of the answer, you can either stick to the textbook or write it in your own words. The makers have chosen to somewhat take the mid-path there. They knew what would work and gave the audiences that and might have probably known where the critics would not appreciate the film immensely.

Double XL commences and with that, Shikhar Dhawan’s cameo. He enters the frame almost instantly, like a hero but unfortunately, makes for a forgettable moment by the end of the film. He and Huma Qureshi are barely able to create a spark despite the romantic setup.

Kanwaljeet Singh and Shobha Khote as Rajshree (Huma)'s father and grandmother are a delight. They are the naughty elements of the film, one that you want to go back to from time-to-time. However, the movie is barely about them.

The dialogues work for the film. However, it is only to an extent and mainly, only in the beginning of the movie. Let’s just say that it works till Zaheer Iqbal as Zo enters the frame. He tries to make an impression but barely does. His dialogues are nothing but creepy.

Sonakshi Sinha's Saira is way too much. Dolly Singh as her friend Meera, is cute.

Saira's lip ring doesn't work. This is just one of the things that's wrong with her character. While her hair colour is still manageable, the colour combination of her clothes does not scream fashion designer one bit. There’s actually a lot going on there. Here, we have a fashion designer without a fashion sense, at least for the most parts. If the makers tried to send a message across, that wasn’t clear. If he wanted to show Saira as a strong woman who is unaffected, why was she dressed like nobody was looking? Need we remind you, she’s a fashion designer!

Sachin Shroff makes an appearance and is a good surprise. He plays Saira's brother in the film. In the two frames that he appears, this actor is good.

Saira's break up scene is par-perfect. She doesn't nail it but it isn't bad either. The scene in itself is memorable, not because Sonakshi is a part of it.

Rajshree is leading a troublesome life. She is with toxic parents who know nothing but to get her married because ‘she’s 30 and fat.’ Her outburst and standing up to her family for once in a long time should be impactful. Instead, unfortunately, it leaves you laughing.

The film doesn’t go anywhere but towards misery for the few minutes since and the music makes things worse. This is till Saira and Rajshree's meeting, which is hilarious. Like they say, misery attracts misery. So here, we have two women who are miserable and still, have each other’s backs. Well, for the most part Saira has Rajshree’s back but potato pohtato.

Mahat Raghavendra as Sreekanth Sreevarthan is just fair. He doesn't exactly fit the plot and that's putting it mildly. This actor seems to have entered the film just because Double XL wanted to fit in the modern times and show that Bollywood has accepted the South Indian actors. For the same reason, probably, there’s a Tamil song in a Hindi film, out of the blue.

Kapil Dev makes a cameo appearance in the film and it is dramatized, to say the least. The moment post that is feel-good. However, that is thanks to the music.

There is too much focus on the song Taali. It is almost a distraction from the story. Actually, every song from there just seems to fit in to be a distraction from the actual plot.

Jimmy Sheirgill as Atul Chhabra comes as a good surprise. He has very little part to play too and Jimmy is his usual self in the scenes – dejected from life but too proud to care.

The costumes in the film were expected to be the highlight since Saira is a designer. However, even that fails to capture your attention. This is till the double XL models show up. While a few are impressive, the others are tacky.

The idea is what makes Double XL so good. Sonakshi nails that scene where she comes up with the idea. However, everything apart from that is a filler you didn't need.

Saira and Zo's love story is cute but creepy at the same time. It is also very expected and dare we say, probably Sonakshi and Zaheer’s way of making things official.

The camera angles in this movie rarely work. However, thankfully, it doesn't affect the narrative to a great extent.

If you are going for Double XL to watch any of the actors act, please stop yourself. If you want entertainment and some film to pass your time, do give this one a try.

Verdict:

While Double XL is not a dream film for a critic, it is enough entertainment for a layman. So, if you want to get entertained without using your brains or analysing scenes, please try Double XL.