The depiction of women, and their stories, has undergone a major change over the last few years, and the digital boom has proved to be a major factor responsible for it. Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi’s next project, Double XL, puts the spotlight on body and weight-shaming with a good dose of humour. 

Talking about the topic resonating deeply with her, Sonakshi says, “When the script came to us, it hit home so hard. I would never have done the film with anyone else but Huma. It’s so important to both of us. We have faced body and weight-shaming from the beginning of our careers, and it continues to happen. No matter what size you are, people always comment on it, which I think is unnecessary. We talk endlessly about cutting out discrimination based on sex, colour and race, but why leave out body size and weight? It was important to do a film like this that tells you about two talented women who believe in living it up on their own terms. The question is — Why is that so hard to digest for people if it happens in real life?”

Huma and Sonakshi were hanging out together sometime last year when Mudassar Aziz walked into the room, and found them gorging on food. That visual made him think if it was time to tell a story inspired by the women’s experiences at the hands of trolls, who have often shamed them for their size.

Sonakshi says, “Huma and I were sitting together when Mudassar saw us and said, ‘Tum dono pe picture banani chahiye!’ And it actually happened! The prep for this film started when Huma and I were at our leanest. It turned out to be the best prep of our lives from the readings to the shoot, we ate to our heart’s content. We put on a lot of weight because we had to look convincing. Huma and I are foodies, so we relished the experience, literally.”

However, the two actresses did keep their fitness and health in mind while putting on weight. Sonakshi shares, “It was important to not only get into the mindset of the characters, but also to remind ourselves that after the film, we have to get back to our usual routines and healthy lifestyles. In our daily life, we work out, stay fit and promote health and wellness. Every role doesn’t need us to look like we do in Double XL. So, it took a lot to train our minds and believe that our size was temporary for that film and that we would be going back to our healthy sizes. When we were overweight girls earlier, both of us would beat ourselves for it. Huma and I made sure that this time we didn’t do that. On the contrary, we had a blast!”