Syra Yousuf and Shehroz Sabzwari’s romantic comedy drama ‘Babylicious’ is one of the few big releases promised in 2023. The trailer shows it to be a tale of lost love that we’ve seen many times before. At one point, Adnan Jaffer’s character even snaps at Shehroz Sabzwari’s character ‘Omar’ that life isn’t a Karan Johar film. However, that’s exactly what “Babylicious” seems to promise. Like in most romantic films, this time it’s practicality versus love, and a promise versus the world.
The trailer begins with Syra Yousuf’s character ‘Sabiha’ and the earlier mentioned ‘Omar’ in a field of daisies. She asks him to promise that he will never leave her. And he replies “Never”. Fast forward and they’re broken up, with Omar pining for her love.
The trailer then throws everything at you from comedy to action to some brilliant cinematography and colours before ending with Omar professing that he will remind Sabiha of the promise of their love. It ends with the tagline “A True Love Story Never Has an Ending.”
However, is this love or toxicity? The conversation about love has evolved through more than a hundred years of film in every corner of the world. What was once considered a hero’s labour of love is now viewed with more caution and restraint. Obsession and stalking are unequivocally considered dangerous and can end very badly, with psychological and physical consequences.
Pakistani cinema has given some great love stories to its audiences through the years from “Armaan” and “Aina” to “Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua” and “Majajan”. We hope that “Babylicious” has much more beneath the surface than its trailer portends.
Film stars Syra Yousuf, Shahroze Sabzwari, Mani, Adnan Jaffer and Aamir Qureshi and it is directed by Essa Khan. The film will hit theaters on 10th February 2023.
