‘Barzakh’ gets high praise from Indian media

Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed’s Barzakh, produced for India’s Zee Zindagi, debuted on July 19 online.

The show has garnered rave reviews from Indian media, with reviews praising the performances, cinematography and story.

The Quint’s Pratikshiya Mishra called the series “profound and arresting.” Praising the performances, the review concludes, “Barzakh isn’t a perfect show by any means but it’s a show that stays with you long after you stop watching. It’s a show that forces you to think and it’s one you will need to sit with for a while.”

Shubra Gupta terms the series “powerful” on The Indian Express. Praising nearly all the main actors, she writes: “Fawad Khan, whose heart-throb quotient hasn’t dropped an inch for his fans in India, is every bit as dishy as he has been; Sanam Saeed is as gorgeous.Fawad M Khan’s older sibling Saifu is terrific, too, as is the handsome Italian chef played by Franco Giusti, who adds succulence in his dishes and his demeanour. Salman Shahid’s patriarch towers over all else: even his unravelling has power.”

Over on India Today, Bhavna Agarwal says the story might not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those that do like it, she praises Asim Abbasi’s helming of the project. “There’s more to every character than what meets the eye. This is probably what makes ‘Barzakh’ such an enjoyable watch,” she contends.

The Hindu’s Shilajit Mishra has penned a mixed review, praising some aspects as bewitching and others as overblown,: “Abbasi is on song when exploring his favoured themes of guilt and generational trauma. The heavier stuff — allegories about female oppression, religious fanaticism and the erasure of ethnic communities — mostly land with a thud.”

We can’t wait for the next episode drop to see where the story goes next.