Barzakh Premiere Review: A Must-Watch ZEE5 Global Original

Barzakh is the latest ZEE5 Global original series that might be its best yet. A story about a family coming together for the third wedding of their older father, Barzakh is weird, wonderful, and absolutely stunning. The Barzakh premiere episode gives audiences a lot of a first impressions. And so far it’s intriguing as hell! Check out my Barzakh premiere review to see why you need to be watching this show!

Please note that the following Barzakh premiere review will have some spoilers from the episode, now streaming on ZEE5 Global.

What Is Barzakh And Why You Need To Be Watching It

The Barzakh premiere episode on Zee5 Global begins with a breathtaking love story. The young couple are in love, as the man plans to spend their life together. With that in mind, he takes off to the big city and does a variety of jobs to earn enough money to return and be with his lover. But something goes wrong, leading us to the current day, where that same man is older, has grown kids of his own, a massive success, but what happened in the past still haunts him. Maybe almost, literally? 

Barzakh starts off looking like a slow-burn family drama full of pathos, grief and loss of love. But as the premiere episode continues, you realize that there are definitely a lot of supernatural elements at play here too. And the way that writer-director Asim Abbasi crafts those reveals, they are less revelatory, and more matter-of-fact casual. Which almost always causes a double take from the audience, because of the subtle manner that Abbasi puts it on screen. It’s effective, quietly shocking and instantly compelling. The visual aesthetic of the show is like this surreal painting, where every shot and every frame is magnificently composed. Almost like artwork. It’s a show that works on every level so far; visually, story-wise and not to mention the immense star cast on camera. 

The Writing Is The Most Intriguing Part Barzakh Premiere

So far, it’s too early to tell where the story of Barzakh is going. Which is how it is with serialized storytelling. But it’s fascinating enough, even with only 1 episode, for audiences to be willing to watch week to week. It’s a story that is instantly compelling and engaging. The characters, their drama with one another and the way the story drips out exposition and information is a masterclass in writing. 

Fawad Khan plays Shehryar, the younger son of the father (Salman Shahid), who also has an elder son. Right away when the characters finally meet, you can sense the tension between the father and his sons. The writing and performances are so good, that even with very minimal dialogue, the sense of baggage and history is painfully apparent in every scene when they interact with one another. Especially the more dramatic scenes where we learn more about them and their relationships. 

Barzakh Has Impeccable Performances

As far as the first episode of a series goes, there are a lot of standouts. Admittedly, my interest in the show came through Fawad Khan, the only actor I’m familiar with due to his work in Bollywood. However, the Barzakh premiere review can’t really discuss his performance much, given there hasn’t been much for him to do yet. Shehryar is seemingly a doting single father who has a young son of his own, and that’s all we really know about him. Some of the others, on the other hand, are incredible!

Kushhal Khan plays the younger version of the father in the flashback scene, in a mesmerizing performance that really sets the tone of the series in that first sequence. Khan is impeccable and a lot of fun to watch, as he navigates many odd jobs in that montage, only to be devasted to be without his lover Mahtab (Anike Zulfikar) upon his return. I’m not sure if the show will feature more flashbacks with Khan, but he definitely sets the bar for the other performances in the Barzakh premiere. 

Shahid (no relation) himself gives a very powerful performance! Introduced as someone not fully in control of his faculties and playing the same character as Khushhal Khan in the first scene, Shahid is so good here. In many ways, so far in Barzakh, he’s the lead character. It’s his upcoming nuptial that is the catalyst of all the unrest in the story so far. It’s his desires and his actions that kick the story into motion. Not to mention his past being the larger mystery so far, it seems. A great performance so far.

And even the elder brother in the show has a stand-out scene. One that is very tragic and so moving, that I can’t wait to see more of his performance in the show. Sanam Saeed plays another interesting character whose immense screen presence is even more interesting given that we don’t know how she fits into the story yet. 

Barzakh Is A Must Watch!

Barzakh is a great new show that really makes use of mystery storytelling in a way I haven’t seen before in Indian or Pakistani television. Its weekly release format will also allow audiences to savour the mystery and the unknown plot points, allowing for better enjoyment of the overall show and its themes. At least, in my opinion. 

Check out the Barzakh premiere episode now streaming on Zee5 Global. 

What did you think of the Barzakh premiere review? Let me know in the comments below. And follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more takes on Barzakh as the series progresses.