A poster has been unveiled for “Barzakh,” starring top Pakistani actors Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed.
The only South Asian selection at Series Mania this year, the series will debut in the showcase’s International Panorama, a 12-title competitive section where it will be eligible for the best series, director, actress, actor, student jury and audience awards.
“Barzakh” (6 x 58′) is produced by Waqas Hassan and Shailja Kejriwal for Zindagi, the Indian subcontinent focused programming block on streamer ZEE5 Global. It is helmed by critically acclaimed director Asim Abbasi who also directed Zindagi’s first Pakistani original “Churails” and the feature film “Cake.”
A family drama centred around an elderly man’s quest for love, “Barzakh” explores intergenerational trauma between fathers and sons. The narrative is framed within a fantastical world of supernatural beings and otherworldly events that reveal the chasms between life, death and rebirth.
Popular on Variety
Khan portrays the role of a single parent who is filled with guilt for something that he has lost. “Coinciding with our Series Mania premiere, our poster that we now reveal to the world offers an early glimpse into what can be expected from the series – abstract beauty and ambiguity that reflects the complexities in navigating human relationships in a post modern world,” Khan said.
Sanam Saeed plays the central female character. “It is a beautiful piece of storytelling and our premiere at Series Mania demonstrates that this is content befitting of an international audience, transcending geographical, cultural and lingual barriers,” Saeed said.
Abbasi shot the series in Karachi and the picturesque Hunza Valley in Pakistan. “Love and memory are both central thematic components of ‘Barzakh.’ We wanted a visual that represented love in its eternal manifestation but, which like memory, also had a fleeting, ephemeral quality about – like time slipping by and evaporating around us, leaving behind a distant but vivid memory of the moment it all began,” Abbasi said.
Shailja Kejriwal, and chief creative officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, special projects. added, “’Barzakh’ is the first ever India-Pakistan cross border series to premiere globally and presenting it to the world together as a team is truly an emotional moment. Amidst the excitement, we are extremely proud to be presenting the series poster – as enigmatic and as beautiful as the series we have collectively created. This has been a genuine labor of love that has transcended borders, signified by the fact that we will be premiering to a wholly international audience that has gathered from across the globe. ‘Barzakh’ has come to fruition through unified passion, vision and bravery from all involved and I would like to extend my wholehearted gratitude to each artist and crew member, as we could not have mounted this ambitious project alone. We hope audiences and fans of original storytelling from around the world will share in our passion and love for this series.”
Hassan said: “From the mountains of Hunza to Lille, it’s been a crazy journey. This one is for the fathers.”
