‘Mesmerised, blown away, and proud’: Sanam Saeed on Barzakh

Sanam Saeed always lets her work speak for her. When the actress does speak, she never shies away from saying exactly what is on her mind.

Though her latest project Barzakh, written and directed by Asim Abbasi, landed in controversy, she has come to its defence. The series attracted a lot of attention due to its incredible cinematography however, its queer-themed content stirred massive controversy, invoking mixed reactions across the region.

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Saeed shared her thoughts on the overwhelming response to the web series.
The Barzakh actress said, “The feedback has been quite overwhelming. Mesmerised, blown away, and proud are just the adjectives that I’ve gotten to hear. People are really overwhelmed, intrigued, curious and have slowly understood that this is not a show that they can just binge-watch. It’s something that they have to really focus on and watch with a lot of attention.”

Despite the backlash, particularly in Pakistan where Barzakh was removed from YouTube, Saeed remains positive about its impact, especially in India. “It was this really beautiful exchange that happened (through the platform, Zindagi) where people’s eyes were opened up,’ noting how Indian audiences gained new insights into Pakistani culture.”

Although she hasn’t had an opportunity yet, the actor expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of working in India in the future.

“I haven’t experienced it, so I can’t say that I miss it because I’ve never gone to India for work. But things will happen one day”, Saeed added.