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Barzakh Ep 1 Review: Asim Abbasi steadily opens box of secrets; Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, and Salman Shahid deliver earnest performances
Barzakh, featuring Sanam Saeed and Fawad Khan, can now be streamed. The first episode has been released. Find out if it's worth your time!
Name: Barzakh
Director: Asim Abbasi
Cast: Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Salman Shahid, M. Fawad Khan, Khhushal Khan, Faiza Gillani, Anika Zulfikar, Franco Giusti, and others
Writer: Asim Abbasi
Rating: 4/5
Where to watch: ZEE5 or Zindagi's YouTube channel
Plot:
A 76-year-old man, Jafar Khanzada (Salman Shahid), lives a reclusive life in the Land of Nowhere and runs a tourist resort named Mahtab Mahal. He suffers from dementia and has been such a loner that he could not even form a connection with his sons. Jafar married and divorced twice. Years later, he desires to reunite with his first love, Mahtab. Undeniably, his undying passion for love seems relatable, but the reality is something else! The locals believe that the bride-to-be doesn't exist.
The old man invites his estranged children, Saifullah (M. Fawad Khan) and Shehryar (Fawad Khan), to his third and final marriage with the lady he adored. Meanwhile, Scheherazade (Sanam Saeed) assists Jafar in taking care of him and assumes that he will be with Mahtab someday. She believes, "Everything that has ever existed, always exists, forever."
Shehryar has a brilliant son who tries to understand the afterlife complexities and the theories Khanzada narrated to him. A few days before the marriage, locals rebel against the resort owner and claim that Jafar did not respect their ancestors by building a mansion on the land where they are buried. They rally to stop the reunion! Ignoring the resistance and the mystical aspects, Khanzada is willing to go on a hike in the mountains of the Land of Nowhere.
What works for Barzakh?
A couple making love far away from the noise of people! The trees, the valleys, and the necklace made out of leaves take you to a world of fantasy, where love isn't a feeling but a faith that holds the power to conquer the world. The opening few scenes are a testament to proving Barzakh to be visually appealing. Besides music in the background creating intrigue, it is an enchanting mix of the quest for love and otherworldly happenings.
Blending magical realism with personal hurdles is probably the inviting factor for Barzakh. Shot with utmost finesse, it doesn't appear to be a typical Pakistani drama but rather an international project executed as a classic theatre play. What will keep you hooked is that the story steadily opens a Pandora's box of secrets, sometimes spooky and sometimes creepy. The plot shuttles between past and present, life and afterlife, natural and supernatural, and this is where the beauty of Asim Abbasi’s direction lies.
Light and frames are carefully used to maintain the intrigue, allowing the symbolic elements to complicate the complexities. Definitely, Barzakh isn't your typical desi drama but a hauntingly beautiful show set in a fantasy world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary. Whether character arcs or their treatment, background score, or cinematography, everything will make your experience of watching it worthwhile.
It is commendable how Asim Abbasi, without resorting to grand and over-dramatic flourishes, succeeds in delivering every delicate detail. Most importantly, the entire cast bleeds into the show in all the right ways. Be it Fawad Khan as a psychiatrist or Sanam Saeed as a nature-loving empath, Salman Shahid as a stubborn old man suffering from dementia, or M. Fawad Khan as a man searching for his identity, the actors seem eerily unsettling and innocent at the same time.
Overall, it leaves us immersed in a "story of young love and apricots, mad kings and fallen leaves, absent fathers and estranged sons, innocence wrapped in a yellow scarf, desires that would turn a pigeon pink, shamans who will heal and serpents that will shed, prophecies whispered by an old book, and a veiled world and eternal time."
Watch the trailer for Barzakh here:
What doesn't work for Barzakh?
The pace feels dilatory at times. However, all the positive aspects outshine this factor. Additionally, Barzakh is complex, and the audience might not grasp its real essence.
Cast
Salman Shahid is the best of all. He, as Jafar Khanzada, does complete justice to the show and steals the spotlight by paying attention to every meticulous detail of his role. Fawad Khan delivers an exceptional performance. He is a different Fawad when he looks after his intelligent kid and a different one when he argues with his old father.
Sanam Saeed is a mountain baby who, as Jafar Khanzada's assistant, appears mysterious and has given one of her career's best performances. Additionally, M. Fawad Khan, Eman Suleman, Khushhal Khan, Faiza Gillani, Anika Zulfikar, and Franco Giusti are all commendable in their respective characters.
Final Verdict
If you are bored of watching typical Pakistani rom-coms and family dramas, Asim Abbasi has got you covered. Featuring a flavorful story of love, Barzakh can be the new addition to your favorite list of shows. Direction, cinematography, cast, and music intricately weave a tale of life and rebirth. It's a must-watch that will definitely make your heart brim with love for Jafar Khanzada, Shehryar, and Scheherazade.
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