The flowery language and the slow screenplay aren’t for all but this comeback vehicle of Fawad A Khan is very much worth a watch

• Starcast: Fawad A Khan, Muhammad Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Salman Shahid and others
• Writer, director and creator: Asim Abbasi
• Producers: Shailija Kejriwal and Waqas Hassan
• Streaming site: Zee 5
• No of episodes: 6

Barzakh is an Arabic word denoting a bridge separating the living from hereafter. Here hereafter refer to a life beyond the earthly existence. Barzakh is the perfect title for this web series written and directed by Asim Abbasi. Barzakh has been a much-anticipated web show given that it has been a while that Indian audiences have seen the dashing Fawad A Khan. Also, Sanam Seed has teamed up with Fawad post their acclaimed romantic show Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Here the actors share a different kind of chemistry which is a far cry from their previous association. However, the powerhouse performers are a treat to watch in every scene of theirs.

The story of Barzakh is set in the mystic valley of Hunza. The valley has a mysterious feel that draws the viewers in even before the main characters are introduced. Jafar Khanzada (Salman Rashid) runs a tourist resort named Mahtab Mahal. Jafar Khanzada suffers from dementia; he is pretty much a loner. Additionally, he doesn’t have much connect with the sons. Jafar is twice married and also divorced. In his twilight years Jafar plans to reunite with his first love Mahtab. The twist here is that Mahtab doesn’t exist in reality. Fawad M Khan and Fawad A Khan play the estranged sons Saifullah and Shehryar respectively. Shehryar has a tough time in understanding the afterlife complexities and theories narrated to him. Sanam Saeed plays the mysterious assistant Scheherazade. Scheherazade is from the mountains and has some secrets. Meanwhile there is the subplot of locals rebelling against Jafar for building a mansion on their land not respecting their ancestors. Jafar pays no heed to these protests determined to reunite with his first love by climbing the mountains leading to land of nowhere. This is the story in a nutshell.

First things first Barzakh moves at a very leisure pace. Unlike series that are in a tearing hurry this one takes its own sweet time to establish the character’s motivations and conflicts. There are no startling cliff hangers. For those who prefer unhurried storytelling they will definitely enjoy it. As far as the rest chances are that you would fidget hands.

Through the story of this dysfunctional family director Asim Abbasi focuses on the consequences of generational trauma along with the tricky topic of mental health. For example, Saifullah had always yearned for his mother’s affection, being a queer kid, he never got that. He is haunted by her ghost till date. The portrayal of queer desire and his never-ending search for validation is heart stirring. Like his namesake Fawad A Khan Fawad M Khan is also fantastic in his portrayal of man who had to deal with everything that he has suppressed over the years.

Fawad A Khan plays a single father. He is dealing with his own inner demons and wants to save his son from the cycle of generational trauma. Fawad A Khan looks dapper as always but apart from the dashing looks the actor does a swell job in portraying the desperation and bewilderment of Shehryar. His scenes with the father are underlined with sarcastic humor raising many chuckles.

Apart from the portrayal of generational trauma Bazrakh is filled with other striking nuances too. For example, in the ‘Land of Nowhere’ women seem to vanish into thin air. The assumption is that they’re called by ‘mountains. The men’s voice is filled with a lot of rage while talking about the mountain spirit. The women on the hand speak with reverence. The children meanwhile ask questions and raise theories about the connection between real and magical. All this adds to the show.

Special mention must also be made of Sanam Saeed. She is a woman of secrets and is constantly struck between her duty to Khanzada and the mountain land. Sanam Saeed does an excellent job. Salman Shahid nails Khanzada’s eccentric nature.

The cinematography of Mo Azmi is also first rate. On one hand he captures Hunza valley in all its glory, at the same time emptiness of night is used to give a spooky touch. The viewers go through a feel of unease. The VFX while smooth for most part could have been better in certain scenes.