Huma Qureshi: “It doesn’t matter what gender you are, but we live in a culture of shaming others”

Towards the end of 2021, Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha were seen in the teaser of Double XL, a movie that knocks the air out of the idea of size and body-shaming. The movie makes a solid expression about how one can’t be characterized by their weight or the shape of their body. Even while Huma and Sonakshi have carved a space for themselves in the industry with their movies, it has not been without their fair share of struggles. The two of them have regularly been body-shamed and trolled for their weight and in some cases, even their fashion choices.

In the past, Huma Qureshi has raised her voice to shun stereotypes about the perfect body type and promote body positivity and self-love. When inquired as to whether both of them were indeed the inspirations behind the narrative written by Mudassar and directed by Satram Ramani, Huma says, “I don’t want to over-explain but I am so proud to attach myself to this film. It doesn’t matter what gender you are, but we live in a culture of shaming others and we derive pleasure by bringing people down. The credit for the film’s idea and story goes to Mudassar. It’s his idea and his script. Sonakshi and I are close friends and the kind of abuse and trolling we have gone through in our careers… people have said things to both of us, but we are still here, doing things and flying high. We gave a fitting response to trolls and to people with the film’s teaser and that is the idea behind the whole movie. You don’t subscribe to someone else’s idea of beauty.”

Huma is also backing this movie as a producer, and she says that while she excited about this new role, she would rather not act in every project that she produces. She says, “I want others to headline projects and when needed, I want to front a story, too. I want to pick interesting stories that break moulds. One of the stories we have in mind is to challenge the idea of marriage and the way women in particular are fed the idea – that they need to be married and settled by a certain age. I believe in living a full and complete life with great friends, my sibling and family. I am happy with my life and have gratitude for everyone I have around me. At this point, I feel very settled in my life. Why should marriage be the only thing that defines being settled?”