Filmmaker Omar Essa Khan shares details about the upcoming Syra-Shahroz film he is directing and producing.
With a number of Pakistani films making waves this year, 2018 has proved to be a major winner for the industry. However, as time inches nearer to the new year, a list of upcoming films are now all set to dazzle the fans. One such project is the much-awaited Syra and Shahroz Sabzwari starrer, which has gone on floors for its first international spell.
Currently filming in Bahrain, the untitled romantic film is being directed by Omar Essa Khan – who has now revealed major details about the project to Instep – including why he chose the pair to star in his film.
“Syra and Shahroz are good people, they value work,” Omar said. “They give out positive energy on set and that’s very important. The behaviour of your lead actor will always be a factor in the quality of your crew’s work.”
Previously, it was reported that the project was shelved for five years. However, now, the filmmaker has refuted that the film was ever abandoned, claiming that it was the constant evolution of the script, which caused the delay.
“My film was never shelved,” the director clarified. “It kept changing over the years. We started with a 40-page TV episode and somewhere realised that the medium was too small for the story. A little later we molded it into a 70-page indie flick aimed for the festival circuit. But even that budget couldn’t cater to my ambition. And now we have a 120-page commercial cinema script that I feel will do justice to the way I want to tell the story.”
Omar is looking at an Eid release next year.
“We are aiming for an Eid weekend release, so I am hoping we can finish before then,” the filmmaker shared. “You know, for me it’s not about meeting deadlines or stressing about quality. It’s only about getting what I want - my shots, my angles, those subtle gestures in performances that I had planned. It’s in the execution of my thoughts where I enjoy. And it’s my own money so I can play as much as I want.”
The filmmaker, who chose Bahrain as the first international destination for the film, revealed that while Karachi has its charm, the Middle Eastern island nation was able to ‘pull him in.
“I chose Bahrain simply because of the love shown by the people there. Everyone is so welcoming – and then there is the halwa,” Omar said. “Karachi has its own film beauty but Amwaj Islands and Bushido pulled me in. And I brought along a big crew from Pakistan, India, the US and France to capture it for the big screen in October for our 30 plus days’ shoot.”
According to the filmmaker, a majority of the team and film crew flew in from India, along with the choreographer, who has worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Padmaavat.
Shahroz Sabzwari too revealed a bit about his character in the film, claiming that it’s a guy who is ‘too romantic.’
“He is too romantic about this girl. I know, it’s corny,” Shahroz said. “Syra and I were high school sweethearts. There was a phase when we weren’t together. When I read the first draft, I knew it was me, the dialogues were me. There is a line in the script: when someone truly madly loves you it makes you feel like the Hulk on the inside. Anyone who knows me knows I would be sold on that line.”
Will the audience be sold on the line, or rather the whole story, is the question we’ll find answers to only when this film releases.
