Katariya's fine script subtly conveys that the foundation of a marriage and love cannot simply be a partner's appearance or for that matter even his education. In DLKH, the female lead is big but that doesn't mean she will go on a rigorous diet and an excruciating exercise regimen to win the heart of her husband and the approval of her in-laws. So much so that the few jibes directed at her weight shock you more than laugh out loud. Instead he allows audiences to discover the wrongness of seeing Sandhya solely on her size. It helps that he doesn't resort to making grand, moral statements on how fat people are ridiculed. Katariya assured them that he wouldn't stoop too such lows. Looking at most Hindi films, they were worried that Pednekar will be the butt of crass jokes on her appearance, which doesn't conform to the Hindi film industry's current obsession with lean women. Katariya in a brief chat about how he decided on Pednekar as his lead told me that the actress and her parents, and even her boss, YRF'S casting director Shanoo Sharma, had reservations about how her character will be presented on screen. Though it does make one wonder why she would settle for a partner who has not even passed tenth standard? But Sandhya sums up her decision succinctly as "Woh mujhe achche lage." When it comes to matters of heart not much makes sense, does it? She knows that she deserves in life as much as any size-zero girl. It has given her a sense of self-esteem, a job that she loves and informed her opinion that beauty cannot be judged by the weight of a person. Yes, Sandhya is teased by her younger, annoying brother for her size, referred to as "moti, saand" by her husband (Ayushmann Khurrana) and is taunted even by her husband's bua (aunt) but she doesn't quietly accept these insults or let them bring her down. Simply put, there is more to her than what meets the eye.
Sharat Katariya is saying that Sandhya's size may be her most visible asset but it is not her biggest at all. Part of DLKH's charm lies in how it doesn't make a caricature of its heavier heroine. One can say that Rani becomes a kind of Sandhya by the end of Queen. While Queen showcases Rani's journey from a naive, scared and emotionally needy young woman to a confident, fun and wise one, Dum Laga Ke Haisha already shows Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar in a fine debut) as self-assured and comfortable in her skin. Both feature strong, engaging female characters, flawed heroes, a fine screenplay and a fantastic ensemble. DLKH is Sharat Katariya's second film much like Queen was Vikas Bahl's. Like Queen, DLKH has also got rave reviews and is counting on strong word of mouth to draw viewers to cinemas. Compared to other YRF films DLKH had a smaller publicity and advertising budget.
DLKH's release date was suddenly brought forward from the original April 24 to March 6 and then to Feb 27 to avoid a clash with Anushka Sharma-starrer NH10. Queen came out without much buzz on March 7 and went on to run in theatres for over two months collecting over Rs 55 crore at the box office. Firstly, there's the proximity of the release date. Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Yash Raj Films' first film of 2015 and also the best of the year so far by miles, has been drawing comparisons with Phantom and Viacom 18's Queen of last year.