12 years after Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Sanam Saeed Mirza and Fawad Khan are all set to return to our screens with Barzakh, a poignant tale about a dysfunctional family sprinkled with elements of supernatural fantasy. The trailer of the series that was recently unveiled caught the attention of many for its aesthetic and never-seen-before look and feel. In an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Sanam says that the audience is in for a ‘surprise’ as her dynamic with Fawad in the series is very different from what it was in Zindagi Gulzar Hai.
“Barzakh’s trailer has attracted a certain kind of audience. It’s not like everyone is going to run towards it because it’s a bit weird, different and confusing and it may not be for everyone. So, I’m hoping that the crowd that will watch the show will understand the nuances and the performances. They’ll forget about Kashaf, Zaroon, Sanam and Fawad and will just be drawn into the world of Barzakh,” she tells us.
She also hopes that Barzakh will make everyone see Fawad in a new light, that of the artist that lies underneath the star that he is. “It was very important for Fawad to do this role because people need to see his range, how brilliantly he has done this role and the fact that he’s also an actor and not just a hero. He’s a very good actor and you’ll get to see a very different side of him in the series. Aap Zaroon ko bhool jaaoge aur Shehryar ke character mein ghus jaaoge,” states Sanam.
Further talking about Barzakh, she reveals that she was apprehensive about how the audience would perceive the series laced with magical realism. “I was like, ‘Asim (Abbasi; director), you’re mad! What are we doing here? Who’s going to get this? Why are you doing this? Why are you making it so confusing and complicated?’ Even we would get confused. We had to keep going back to the episodes and read them in order,” she recalls.
Sanam adds, “I’m sure Asim would also keep getting confused writing it before he handed in the final draft. The story spans over four-five days and you’ll have to keep up with what’s happening. This also makes it challenging. And how often do stories with magical realism come your way? Not every day. I’m glad it was Asim who did it.”
But according to the Umro Ayyar – A New Beginning actor, it is this factor that also makes Barzakh ‘exciting’. Comparing it to the popular German sci-fi thriller television series ‘Dark’, she remarks, “It’s like the show called Dark, one of my all-time favourites. It was so confusing that you had to be involved and engaged. Even if you tune out for two minutes, you’ll lose track because everything is so intricately connected and fine-tuned. Barzakh is a bit like that because here too, you can’t lose focus.”
Barzakh marks Sanam’s third collaboration with Asim after the critically acclaimed Cake and Churails and it is set to release simultaneously on Zindagi’s YouTube and ZEE5 on July 19.
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