Syra Yousuf turns producer with first short film 'Shireen'

Actor Syra Yousuf has stepped behind the camera, announcing her first project as a producer with the short film Shireen, directed by Ali Mehdi. The announcement also marked the launch of her new production banner, SYCinemagic.

Sharing the poster on her Instagram account, Syra described the project as one that was personal to her, calling it "close to my heart."

"The short marks the start of something I have wanted to build for a while, a platform for creators and storytellers whose work deserves space to exist," she wrote, adding that there was something meaningful in helping bring someone else's vision to life and watching the individual pieces come together.

Actor Adeel Husain responded with a string of celebratory emojis, while Strings' Bilal Maqsood also offered his congratulations.

Actors Laila Wasti and Aamina Sheikh also wished Syra luck on her new venture.

Fans echoed similar sentiments in the comments, leaving messages of support for Syra's move into production.

Syra is best known to audiences for her television work, having debuted in Mera Naseeb in 2011 before going on to star in dramas including Bilqees Kaur, Tanhaiyaan Naye Silsilay and Ru Baru. Her most recent major television appearance came in the ensemble drama Sinf-e-Aahan, where she played Arzoo Daniel, a Christian girl from Lahore working toward a place at the Pakistan Military Academy.

On the film side, the actor starred in the 2023 romantic comedy Babylicious opposite her ex-husband Shahroz Sabzwari.

With Shireen, Syra added the producer tag to a career so far built primarily in front of the camera, positioning SYCinemagic as a new outlet for the kind of storytelling the actor said she had long wanted to support.