Syra Yousuf, Shahroz Sabzwari share experience of working together in 'Babylicious'

Syra Yousuf and Shahroz Sabzwari talked about their upcoming film 'Babylicious' and their blended family, stating how its "irritating" when people talk about them getting back together.

In an interview with digital publication Something Haute on Monday, the former couple attributed the realisation of the film, due to be released next month, to director Omar Essa Khan, who also produced and wrote the story.

The film was conceptualised in 2012, with the two co-stars shown the details and script in 2017.

Yousuf called the film a blend of rom-com, chick-lit and a feel-good movie.

Former star couple Shahroz Sabzwari, Syra Yousuf's new film set to release in Feb 2023

Sabzwari explained further: “I won’t call it a rom-com film because that’s a completely different genre. I would say 'Babylicious' is a feel-good popcorn film. If you want to buy some popcorn and nachos and watch a feel good, nice chick flick that makes you a little happy, a little sad and a little excited, It’s that film, that will tick all the right boxes."

"It doesn’t have the masala, one of a forceful kind.”

“He’s right. It’s the kind of film that you’d watch for a good laugh and there are some thought provoking things in it as well," Yousuf added.

"The idea of love and how love should be has also evolved over time and we grew up watching these films where you knew that hero is in love, now the hero could also be crazy. So there’s a lot to question and think about, and it’s nice like that,” she added.

"Its a pure love story," she added.

Yousuf and Sabzwari got divorced in 2020, and have a child together. They share custody of the daughter.

When asked about the last few years and all that transpired, the former couple discussed how they manage their work and family.

Yousuf said, “What helps us maintain a good equation is that we’re parents to a child and I think that has helped us maintain that equation in a very healthy manner. When you prioritise something, a person, especially if it’s a child, then you realise that your problems are petty compared to that. So then you make sure that you’re decent to each other and good to each other.”

“When the teaser came out, the most excited person was Nooreh. She’s like ‘Baba, you’re looking so bad, Mimi is looking fantastic,’ added Sabzwari.

"That’s her love. She will never say anything nice to me and that’s her love and I love that. Whenever she says something nice that’s when I know she’s lying,” he added.

Following his divorce with Yousuf, Sabzwari married model Sadaf Kanwal, with whom he has a daughter Zahra.

Speaking about the children's relationship, he added the two share a bond which was "beyond their expectations".

Sabzwari credited both his wife, Kanwal, and Yousuf for creating the right energy for both children to thrive in.

Speaking about whether she would want her daughter to see the film, Yousuf said,

"I'm very particular about what she sees since she’s only eight years old. There’s a difference between the random actors you see on the big screen and your parents.

"I’m like okay, I don’t want extra confusion in her head. I keep telling her that it’s just pretend, we’re just pretending to be people and it’s just a story. So I hope it’s not confusing for her.”

On how the content or story-telling process changed post-Covid, Sabzwari said how a more fast-paced story worked better, with quick resolutions, drawing comparisons with social media where videos are shorter.

The co-stars said the movie 'Babylicious' is set in Karachi but creates a delusional "wonderland" for its characters, where regular things like number plates etc all seem a bit different, yet relatable.

Speaking about the conversations about the former couple and their chemistry, Yousuf commented,

“Of course, it gets a little irritating because you’re like ‘move on’. You’re like something has happened in someone’s personal life, they went through it and they’ve come out of it, like, let it be now and let’s focus on what it is now. Bringing back an old thing, it’s like if someone has moved on, you’re constantly taking them back there.

"I feel like when people move on, like literally in a way that it’s obvious, then I think it’s best to not make it awkward,”

“But then it takes time to get used to the things you haven’t seen before, like the idea of separation that for some may mean cutting ties on bad terms. It can also be like those people sorted their own issues in order to bring up their children,” she said.

Yousuf, who plays the character of Sabiha in the movie, added she would like people to enjoy the film and respect the co-stars for being professional.