Syra, Shahroz Sabzwari pair up for a coming-of-age love story

Real-life couple gear up for their reel-life romance

ISLAMABAD: One of Pakistan's most cherished couples, Syra Shahroz and Shahroz Sabzwari undoubtedly feed off of each other’s energies - and having known the two for a while, they’re both diametrically the opposite, which probably makes them nothing but complement one another. Talk about the perfect match!

In a compelling Valentine’s Day post on Instagram, the two very peculiarly posted a BTS from their untitled film together.

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ SAIROZ

While Shahroz wrote “Sai” as his caption, Syra completed the couple’s name with “Roz”, announcing their first ever cinematic outing together. However, the film does, in fact, give re-birth to a project the two had signed onto nearly half a decade ago that had seemingly been shelved.

“I read the script five years ago and I thought it was a very interesting take on a love story. When I read it now, just recently, a lot had changed in it and for the better only,” Syra told The Express Tribune in an exclusive proclamation of sorts. “When I was reading it, I really got into it. The way it spoke to me was really appealing.”

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“Also, I heard a song from the movie and I just knew I had to do it,” she bursts out into laughter, all praises for the film’s soundtrack composed by newcomer, Adrian David, who has worked with the likes of veteran Indian musicians A R Rahman and Salim-Suleman, and tracks comprising fresh vocals from Maria Unera, Sherry Khattak and Kashan Admani of former pop-rock band ‘Mizmaar’.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Syra continued with what truly made her pursue the feature, “Ultimately, the entire thing put together, with Shahroz in it with me, I thought it would be a good product for us to do together. I’d waited for a good script to come along for him and I - and I just knew deep down that this was it.”

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Though Shahroz chose to remain tight-lipped about what the film revolved around, she spoke of having a natural camaraderie with her leading man-cum-husband, which would translate onto celluloid much more organically in a coming-of-age, love saga.

“We really enjoy being on-set together. Shahroz is really busy with his other projects every day and I don’t get to spend too much time with him, but working on this project together allows me to do that,” an ecstatic-Syra shares.

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ SAIROZ

“Of course, there’s an extra level of comfort when you’re sharing the screen with your husband. I think he’s really evolved as an actor also, and it’s really great how spontaneously he channels every emotion the director asks him to. I think it’s all the more fun.”

Clueless of what took so long for the film to go on-floors, Syra did commend debutant director Omar Essa Khan, who has worked on television sitcoms previously, for truly giving the script his all. She speaks of how the screenplay and dialogues have blossomed since she went over its earliest version.

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“The first time I heard about the film was when I read it back in the day,” she maintained, all praises for Khan. “I think the director probably needed more time, since he’s definitely somebody who knows what he wants now; he knows his movie shot-by-shot. To see somebody with that kind of confidence is phenomenal.”

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ SHAHROZ SABZWARI

As happening as last year was was in the ‘movie department’ for Syra, it was perhaps more harrowing. She received a lukewarm response from Chalay Thay Saath, whilst Project Ghazi was surprisingly pulled back at the night of its premiere. Just recently, she turned down a part in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani’s sequel for the lack of substance, which ultimately landed with Mawra Hocane, but seems content with being her instinctive self.

“If something doesn’t make sense to me, I can’t jump into it. If I’m not excited, I can’t bring myself to do anything at all for the heck of it. I only take up something if my gut tells me I’ve got to do it,” she clarifies of trusting her intuition blindly. “I look into the details later. I’m probably not going to do a film that gives me an iffy feeling. For me, it’s important to feel the character.”

The yet-to-be-named, ‘Sairoz’ film has flown in a French cinematographer who has studied under veteran Academy Award-winning DOP, Russell Carpenter of Titanic and The Terminator. Currently under production, the film went on-floors just last month and is aiming at wrapping up shooting by March.

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