Divided by borders, united by family

The story weaves in elements of magic realism

In the words of Pakistani director Asim Abbasi, the only person who has fully understood his show, Barzakh, is producer Shailja Kejriwal. The upcoming Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed-starrer tells the story of a 76-year-old reclusive man, who invites his estranged children and grandchildren to celebrate his wedding with the ghost of his true love. Elements of the supernatural and magic realism run in the story that sees Kejriwal and Abbasi reunite after their successful Churails (2020).

Backing a story that's so out of the ordinary couldn't have been easy for Kejriwal. But the Bollywood producer says that all it takes is faith in the director. "We have immense faith in Asim's vision and storytelling. Folk stories across the world are similar because they come from general human existence. Some of the pagan elements that we've woven in are common to every culture, [be it India or Pakistan]. What drew me to the story is that families are complex. This idea is universal. When a family gets together, they bring their [resentments]. In each episode, Asim takes us through the unresolved trauma of each family member. Everyone starts off from a dysfunctional space, but by the end, there is some resolution in everyone's lives," she says.

Asim Abbasi and Shailja Kejriwal

Was it difficult to convince mainstream actors like Khan and Saeed to take on such an experimental series? "It wasn't a challenge at all," says Kejriwal. "There is a lot of faith among Pakistani stars in Asim's work after Cake [2018] and Churails. As an audience, we often pressure our stars to repeat who they are on screen, to satisfy us. Then we criticise them for repeating themselves. Fawad and Sanam are artistes first, and stars later. Fawad is very interested in pushing his own boundaries; he gets bored of the same old mould. Sanam is hungry for new things. They all believed in Asim's madness."

The Zindagi series is set to stream in times when most shows and movies aren't finding favour with the Indian audience. For Kejriwal, the viewership numbers are secondary. The bigger idea through the banner, which was resurrected in 2020, is to unite people from both sides of the border through art. "It is a big leap of faith to do such a show. But I can't think strategies; I'm a storyteller first. I go with my gut. Sometimes I will be rewarded for it, at other times, I will suffer. Producers should always think like an audience, look at what's being made around and ask, ‘Is this grabbing my attention?'"