Babylicious

Babylicious is a Pakistani romantic comedy film written, directed and produced by Essa Khan under the banner Coconut Entertainment Pakistan. It stars Shehroz Sabzwari and Syra Yousuf, alongside Ankur Rathee and Adnan Jaffar.
Babylicious was released on 27 June 2023, coinciding with Eid al-Adha.

Premise

A hopeless romantic takes on the world to break up his ex-girlfriend's wedding and win her back.

Cast

Shehroz Sabzwari as Omar
Syra Yousuf as Sabiha
Ankur Rathee as Nabeel
Shehzeen Rahat as Arwa
Adeal Amjad as Aadi
Mohi Abro as Nido
Sabeena Syed as Annie
Adnan Jaffar as Dad
Laila Wasti as Mom
Aamir Qureshi as Haris
Anita Camphor as Sabiha's mother
Mani as Mani
Pippa Hughes as Sarah
Production

The film was officially announced by Syra Yousuf and Shahroz Sabzwari on Valentine's Day post on Instagram in 2018, when they posted a BTS from their then untitled film. In an interview, Yousuf stated that she committed to the project after listening to the film's soundtrack.
Principal photography of the film commenced in 2018. The first schedule took place in Karachi, before moving to Bahrain. The film was slated for a possible Eid release in 2019, but due to delays in filming and the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's release was postponed.

Marketing

The title of the film was announced on 15 December 2022, along with a first look. The official teaser was released online by Coconut Entertainment on 22 December 2022 to rave reviews. The Express Tribune described Babylicious teaser "as sweet as one romantic film can be".
The official film trailer was released on 11 January 2023.

Music and soundtrack

The film album is primarily composed by Adrian David.
The first single, titled "Mann Ranjhan", was released on 30 December 2022. Pop culture website Something Haute hailed the song "a memorable addition to the list of melodious love songs from Pakistani films."
The second single, titled "Ghazab Kurriye", accompanied by its music video was released on 14 February 2023. The music video of the song made waves for its production design, costumes and choreography with more than one publication labeling it the wedding anthem of the year. The music is produced by Kashan Admani. The complete soundtrack was released on 21 May 2023, receiving positive reviews from the critics. Babylicious' songs are based on love, passion, and longing.

No.	Title	Writer	Artist	Length
1.	Mann Ranjhan	Shakeel Sohail	Nauman Shafi, Rahma Ali	3:50
2.	Ghazab Kurriye	Shakeel Sohail	Jonita Gandhi, Ahmed Jahanzeb	2:54
3.	Ussay Jee Raha Hoon	Shakeel Sohail	Sherry Khattak, Maria Unera	4:50
4.	Ranjhay Ko Na De Saza	Shakeel Sohail	Asad Rasheed	4:30
5.	Alvida	Shakeel Sohail	Richie Robinson	3:35

Release

The film was initially scheduled to release on 10 February 2023. However it is now postponed to 27 June 2023, coinciding with the Eid festival.

Critical reception

The film received a number of positive reviews upon its release. Majorly the critics praised the work of the director, Omer Essa Khan. Shahroz, and the ear-catching dialogues, are the glue that bind Essa’s uncomplicated, routine love story, that’s anted-up as a near-excellent motion picture. Despite some very minor creative and technical hitches — hitches casual audiences won’t even note — Babylicious heralds the arrival of a bright young filmmaker, wrote Dawn. The roles of the lead cast were also lauded by the publications including The Tribune.