'Barzakh' review: Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed's show is exquisite and enriching

Cast: Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Salman Shahid

Director; Asim Abbasi

Language: Urdu

A car is heading to the land of nowhere where it stops at Mahtab Mahal. The driver is Fawad Khan, who has come back home for his father’s third wedding. Going by the trailer of Barzakh, the absorbing and brooding visuals give it a Sherlock Holmes-esque touch accompanied by a suspenseful background score. But once you settle down to discover what the show is exactly about, the first thing that strikes you is how writer and director Asim Abbasi uses silence to covey every character’s turmoil. And Mo Azmi does a good job of capturing the beauty of the landscapes. But there’s still a lot more than what meets the eye. The hills and mountains hide a secret the man in charge refuses to believe, or wants to go ahead with it.

The hushed whispers suggest the lady he adores and passionately loves has been long dead, and this is what forms the basic theme of Barzakh. It’s about an aching and sweeping union and rendezvous of two souls out of which one is supposedly no more. Salman Shahid, Fawad Khan, and Sanam Saeed look stunning in every frame. Fawad, in particular, wears intensity like a glove, and there’s something mysterious about his aura that nicely camouflages with the cryptic narrative of the show. And Sanam compliments the actor with an arresting screen presence. While watching the show, the film that strangely came to mind was Abhishek Kapoor’s 2016 Fitoor. The dark frames, the gorgeousness of the picturesque locations, those deep silences, it all echoes that failed attempt but with contrasting results.

But Barzakh is a slow burn that hinges on restrain. Unlike a lot of other shows, it’s in no hurry to reveal all its cards at once and be driven by the desperation to end every episode on a cliff-hanger. It takes its own sweet time to unravel what lies beneath the surface and the characters’ motivations and conflicts. The dialogues feel like real conversations and not punchlines for effect. Here’s the thing about Pakistani shows- They revel in remarkably composed storytelling fueled by stunning performances and visuals. For all those gratified by the breakneck chaos of Farzi and madness of The Family Man, Barzakh could be acquired taste, but for those who are suckers for what they would describe as thairaav, this one is surely a charmer.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Barzakh is now streaming on Zee Zindagi

Working as an Entertainment journalist for over five years, covering stories, reporting, and interviewing various film personalities of the film industry see more