(L-R) Shehroz Sabzwari, Nadeem Baig and Miss Pakistan USA 2015, Sarish Khan.
The upcoming year looks like an optimistic one for cinema in Pakistan and one of the many projects to look forward to is Syed Noor’s comeback film, Chein Aye Na, which was announced at a press conference last week. Chein Aye Na will feature Miss Pakistan USA 2015, Sarish Khan (widely known as Sabiha Khanum and Santosh Kumar’s granddaughter) and Shehroze Sabzwari in lead roles. We caught up with the actor to learn a bit more about his film, which may put him back in the spotlight.
“Five years ago I thought I should do a film and I’ve been in talks with Syed Noor Sahab ever since but nothing shaped up. At times I’d get really upset since my dream has always been to work with an actual filmmaker, and he’s one of the best,” Shehroz told Instep as he finally took out some time to chat with us from the sets of his forthcoming movie.
“I got a call from Noor Sahab a month ago and he told me that he had finally written a character that he felt could fit my personality. I said yes without even reading the script,” he added.
Chein Aye Na follows the journey of a “small-time musician who falls madly in love with an influential politician’s daughter” and the film offers a “rollercoaster of emotions, slight thrill and intense romance,” he informed. Currently being shot in Karachi, the film will be wrapped up by the end of February with Eid-ul-Fitr being a tentative release date.
Syed Noor with actor Shehroz Sabzwari.
“I had a very small window to prepare for the character of a musician. We went on floors just a few days after the official announcement,” Sabzwari revealed. “However, through YouTube tutorials I’ve learnt how to play the guitar and the saxophone so I’m sure when people will watch the film, they’ll know I’m not faking.”
Shehroz’s real-life father and seasoned actor, Behroze Sabzwari will be seen portraying his reel-life father (yet again), playing a single parent with a strong bond with his son. Sarish’s on-screen parents will be essayed by Atiqa Odho, as a prominent stateswoman and Nadeem Baig.
“Noor Sahab came to us fully prepared. He has been working on the film for the past one year and by the time I signed up, the music and the entire pre-production was done. All Noor Sahab needed was our dates and we were happy to oblige,” he said with a smile.
While many of us would believe that Syed Noor is one of the many filmmakers who had earlier contributed to the decline of local cinema (back in the 90s) by promoting the gandasa-genre in films, Shehroz defends him.
“Syed Noor has made over 52 films, and even directors in Hollywood believe in experimenting. Not all their directorial films are super-hits. The kind of films that he’s made define the golden era of our cinema; Sangam, Qasam, Sargam and Ghoongat just to name a few. And the films that he’s written are beautiful, like Nikkah. The fact that he’s signed me and Sarish says a lot. He’s very intelligent and I can assure you that Chein Aye Na is a serious romantic film, something that he excels at and it’s very much based in today’s time and age.”
Shehroz is happy to be back, after all it has been almost a decade since he first appeared in his uncle, Javed Sheikh’s directorial, Khulay Asmaan Kay Neechay. Has his low visibility caused any insecurities since work is extremely fast paced these days?
“I’ve grown up on sets, I’ve seen actors come and go, I’ve seen their graphs go up and down, I’ve seen Javed Mamun rise again and so I’m way past that,” he responds confidently. “Looking at other actors become heartthrobs right in front of me and seeing them bag roles right under my nose has never disturbed me whatsoever. I am the biggest example of survival because I have great faith and to me, those years were the waiting period for something mind-blowing and here I am, finally doing a film that’s worthwhile.”
Sabzwari, who was previously offered Mohsin Ali’s Chupan Chupai and Wajahat Rauf’s Lahore Se Aagey, says that he is completely focusing on Chein Aye Na and hasn’t yet thought of what project he’ll take up next.
“After people got to know I’m doing a film with Syed Noor, they started offering me better scripts. On the bright side, I’ll now have more options and will be able to select better,” he concluded.