Profound, dark and visually stunning — Barzakh begins on a strong note
For the longest time I’ve been wondering why Pakistan hasn’t been able to make original content for OTT. Especially when you see literally anything from across the border — their audience is massive, so that makes up for the sometimes average content — air on major platforms like Netflix or Prime. So then, why is it so difficult for Pakistan to make the kind of work that can sell on these platforms?
Watching the first episode of Barzakh made me question this even more! Written and directed by Asim Abbasi, of Cake and Churails fame, and produced by Shailja Kejriwal, the show stars Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, M Fawad Khan (yes, there are two Fawad Khans in Barzakh), Salman Shahid, Khushhal Khan, Sajid Hasan, Uzma Beg and Nighat Choudhry. To think that this quality of work was 80 per cent Pakistani (besides the production), I wonder when we’ll make more content for the world and not just our audience.
The plot is set in the mountains or the ‘Land of Nowhere’ amidst some stunning fall imagery from our very own Hunza. The plot tells the tale of Jafar Khanzada (played by Salman Shahid) hell bent on marrying for the third time, this time to the ghost of his first true love, Mehtab, who passed away 60 years ago.
Jafar tells his sons from the first two marriages — Shehryar (Fawad Khan), a widower with a nine-year-old son, and Saifullah (M Fawad Khan) — to join his celebrations, which will take place atop a mountain. It doesn’t take much time to establish that both sons come with their own baggage. If you’re wondering where Sanam Saeed comes in, she’s right there, playing Scheherezade, the manager of Mahtab Mahal, the luxurious estate that has a dubious past.
Without going into more details of the plot, I can tell in just a few minutes of the first episode, Abbasi’s storytelling turns the picturesque Hunza Valley into a mysterious otherworldly midway zone between life and the afterlife, which is essentially the meaning of “Barzakh”.
The beauty of Barzakh doesn’t lie in a single element; it’s equally shared in the perfection of the cast choice, their performances, the storytelling and character development while keeping a lot of mystery, the direction and the set design. And while there are many strong elements, it definitely shines in its writing and direction. Asim Abbasi needs to take a bow and work more often — we’re definitely not happy with the few years of wait between his work.
At the same time, Mo Azmi deserves immense credit for the beautiful cinematography that blends the right levels of lighting, colours and hues to such perfection, making the sets and characters look stunning in every frame.
Saeed and Fawad Khan are compelling in their roles, as expected. Fawad M Khan holds the court with just as much strength as his counterparts, while showcasing his emotional baggage. I was most pleasantly surprised that Salman Shahid took on this role and delivered it to such perfection. This is probably his most unique and interesting role till date and in the first episode at least, he seems to have done justice to it. Sajid Hassan, in the first episode, was a great surprise and addition and very compelling in the short time took on screen. Definitely looking forward to more of that!
Besides her acting, which was expected to be great, Saeed’s narration of the plot is also brilliant. It doubled the mysterious element and added a theatrical charm to Barzakh.
While there was too much to absorb in the first episode, the next few will unravel the mysteries and questions in the minds of viewers and I for one can’t wait for Tuesday!
New episodes of Barzakh every Friday and Tuesday on Zee Zindagi’s YouTube channel.