Satram Ramani: Sonakshi Sinha And Huma Qureshi Suited ‘Double XL’ Perfectly As They’ve Witnessed This Struggle First Hand

Director Satram Ramani made his entry into showbiz behind the camera as an assistant director and post-production supervisor. He worked on notable films like ‘Jism 2’, ‘Ready’, ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya’, ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘Freaky Ali’. Last year, he made his directorial debut with the social comedy ‘Helmet’, starring Aparshakti Khurana and Pranutan Bahl. The film dealt with the stigma around the usage of condoms in India.

Continuing on the path of making enjoyable, socially relevant cinema, he is gearing up for the release of his next project, ‘Double XL’. The film stars Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles. It deals with the struggles faced by plus-size women and society’s stigma around what makes a woman ‘beautiful’ and promises to leave you feeling touched and happy.

Talking to Prateek Sur from Outlook, Satram Ramani reveals the intricacies behind making the film, the way he managed to get the perfect casting and lots more. Excerpts from the chat:

Tell us about the germ behind the idea of ‘Double XL’.

The idea of Double XL came to Mudassar Aziz when he saw Huma and Sonakshi having a discussion about their weight after COVID and having dinner. So, he just kind of bounced the idea to both of them and they were pretty excited about it, they were like yes, the film should be made on this topic and that's how the journey started of ‘Double XL’. And after that later on, Mudassar pitched me the story and I was on board.

People have been praising the film for getting the perfect casting of Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha. Actresses usually don’t want to play the fat girl onscreen. Was it difficult to get the two ladies to sign on for ‘Double XL’?

The germ of the Idea was created and based on keeping these two ladies in mind. As I mentioned, Mudassar got this idea one night at a social event after seeing these two girls eat. Both the girls got excited about hearing the idea and that's how the casting for the film was done. I was elated to be directing these two, especially for a subject like this since they have lived this experience first-hand, and thus it was a pleasure to get a performance out of them because it was more an emotion that they have been through than ‘acting’.

Body shaming has been a constant evil that actresses from our film industry have always been subjected to. Is the film industry at fault here that they’re trying to constantly show ‘slim and tall’ as the ideal body type for women?

Body shaming is a constant evil world over in every industry and not only in our film industry. Our films cater to an audience whose mindset is already carved with the idea that ‘slim & tall’ is the ideal body type. Hence, that's the figure that we also constantly chase after in our leading ladies. However, over time, people have broadened their thought processes and are thus more receptive to seeing real stories. Hence, in today’s day and age, a story like Double XL needed to be shared with the world which focuses on the ideology of breaking stereotypes and having bigger dreams than worrying about bigger body types.

What do you think should be done so that women having all body types should get accepted by the audiences as lead actresses?

Honestly, this stereotype is going to be difficult to break because it is one that has been inculcated years and years over in everyone’s mind. However, as a filmmaker, I believe it is our responsibility to break this stereotype by making more films that include people of all shapes and sizes without worrying about what an audience would feel. I believe it’s more important to focus on the story-telling aspect and having conviction in your story. If that is strong, with how our audience is slowly becoming more open-minded, the shape and size of your actor would not matter.

Also, whenever we see a movie which has women in a slightly healthier look onscreen, they’re either made fun of onscreen or they’re made to be the lead actress’ best friend. At best, if they’re the lead actress in the movie, the entire story is about their weight. Why can’t a normal actress in a regular rom-com (or any other genre) be weighty?

As I mentioned, it's an age-old standard that’s just being followed blindly. And that’s why the quintessential casting is that of a ‘slim & tall’ woman as opposed to someone on the heavier side. But, that being said, the world over people are now trying to break that stereotype and become more inclusive by including women of all body types in their stories. And with Double XL, I’m glad to be the first to be sharing such a story in our Indian Film Industry, where we talk about having bigger dreams than focusing on one’s bigger body.

We’ve seen actresses in Hollywood like Amy Schumer, Rebel Wilson, and Melissa McCarthy play lead roles in normal regular films where the story isn’t entirely focused on the girl being overweight. Why does that not happen in Bollywood?

Times are changing. Mindsets are becoming more inclusive. With Double XL, this is exactly what we’ve tried to do, where a woman's body does not determine the size of their dreams or achievements. We’ve set the precedent with Double XL and can only hope that more & more films are made with women of all body types.

If not Huma and Sonakshi, who do you think would have been perfect for the two lead characters in ‘Double XL’?

I don’t think any two people are better suited for this film than these two beautiful leading ladies. Because this struggle is one that they have witnessed first-hand and have single-handedly broken stereotypes and become leading ladies in our industry while being comfortable in their own skin without letting what the world was saying affect them.

Your last film ‘Helmet’ also spoke of a social stigma around condoms, and even in ‘Double XL’ you’re trying to show the societal evil of women being judged for their weight. Do we always get to see you make films with a message? Is that your comfort zone as a filmmaker?

I want to make films and share stories that make a statement while being equally entertaining. As a filmmaker I believe we have the power to reach out to a large group of people, thus while entertaining them if I also can share a message through my storytelling, then why not?

What next can we see coming from you?

A lot more films! I’ve been working on scripts of stories that are really close to my heart. And just like my previous two films, I wish to entertain and make my audiences feel something at the end of them. Hoping to make an announcement very very soon!