‘Army of the Dead’ Star Huma Qureshi Wraps Anti-Body-Shaming Film ‘Double XL’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Huma Qureshi, one of the stars of Zack Snyder’s Netflix film “Army of the Dead,” has wrapped the shoot of anti-body-shaming film “Double XL.”
Qureshi, who stars in the film alongside Sonakshi Sinha, also debuts as a producer via her company Elemen3. Satram Ramani (“Helmet”) directs.
More from Variety
“In all cultures there are ways in which we try and standardize beauty and we try and almost tell young young girls, that [if] you don’t adhere to a certain body type, you are not beautiful, cherished, you’re not special, you’re not valued,” Qureshi told Variety. “Why do we not see models representing real women’s bodies? Why do we not see actresses of all shapes and sizes? They exist, so why are you not seeing that on the big screen? Because what it leads to is a lot of young women and men grow up with complexes as if they’re not good enough. It leads to some very unhealthy lifestyle choices.”
“For me, being a woman and having lived that journey, and I’m sure I can speak for Sonakshi and may other actresses out there, it’s something very personal – it’s something that we have lived, that we still live every single time we step out,” said Qureshi. “Why should we not talk about the impact they have on some of these dreams, somebody’s life, some of these journeys. So ‘Double XL,’ in that sense, is a very personal film.
“I’m very proud not just as an actor, but also it will be my first time as a producer, and I feel like this is something I have to put out there in the world. This is something that I want my name to get attached to. Because it’s entertaining, it’s engaging. At the same time, I think it uplifts you and empowers women.”
The film, which is partly set in the U.K., is gearing for a theatrical release in May or June.
The actor is currently basking in the twin box office successes of Hindi-language film “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” where she has a cameo, and Tamil-language film “Valimai” alongside Ajith Kumar, one of the top leading men in South Indian cinema. Qureshi experienced the hysteria that accompanies the release of a film with a major star in South India first hand in Chennai.
“It was completely chockablock and people were bursting crackers and when my car entered they put flowers on it and it was quite something,” says Qureshi. ” He [Ajith Kumar] has that kind of following over there, where his films are nothing short of a mini-festival. And, it’s all the love of the fans and how much they look forward to that experience of watching his films in the theater. The pandemic caused a lot of delays for ‘Valimai’ to see the light of day. I was quite overwhelmed actually. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Next up for Qureshi is “Tarla,” a biopic of famed Indian food writer Tarla Dalal, with “Dangal” writer Piyush Gupta making his directorial debut. The film will be produced by Nitesh Tiwari, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP. The actor was attracted to the “beautiful” script, which is about a woman achieving her dream against all odds.
Also coming up is Netflix comedy crime drama film “Monica, O My Darling,” by Vasan Bala (Toronto winner “The Man Who Feels No Pain”).
Qureshi has tasted success in India with ZEE5 series “Mithya” and SonyLIV series “Maharani” in addition to receiving global attention for “Army of the Dead.”
“What Zack did was really invest in trying to create a new kind of zombie universe. The appreciation, the feedback has been quite phenomenal for that as well. There’s, of course, always conversations about potential spin offs,” Qureshi said about “Army of the Dead.” “I think the universe will keep expanding,” Qureshi said, but she had no specific information about a possible sequel.
“I want to be that performer, that actor, that artist who’s dabbling in different pieces of content, which are territory agnostic, and which is why I want to be part of a great series, I want to be part of a film that comes from the south of India, but is really a pan-Indian experience – or I would like to maybe work in the West and be part of a global streamer’s film,” says Qureshi. “I feel as an actor today, we have those choices.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
