Wanted to explore intergenerational trauma in epic setting: director Asim Abbasi on 'Barzakh

NEW DELHI: There are fairies and ghosts but ultimately "Barzakh" is the story of familial bonds and how intergenerational trauma affects people, says British Pakistani director Asim Abbasi, whose highly-anticipated Fawad Khan-Sanam Saeed-starrer show is ensconced in magic realism.

Abbasi has emerged as one of the most original voices in the Pakistani entertainment space with the success of his film "Cake" and series "Churails". "Barzakh", which will release on Zindagi's YouTube channel and ZEE5 on July 19, means purgatory or limbo, the director said, explaining that the title lends beautifully to the story, which has its roots in mythology of different religions.

"I was looking to tell an intimate story about a family, about dysfunction, about what it means to be a father and a son and how intergenerational trauma kind of passes through no matter how much we don't want to replicate the mistakes that our parents made with us...

"But, I wanted to do it in this expansive epic world that was sort of rooted in shamanism where souls could travel and from other worlds and there were fairies and ghosts. So, it was very heavy on magical realism," Abbasi told PTI in an interview.

The series revolves around a 76-year-old man who stuns his estranged children and grandchildren by announcing his wedding to the ghost of his first true love. This unconventional event sparks emotional revelations and confrontations as family members gather, unsure whether to celebrate or intervene.

A lot of curiosity around the show has to do with the casting of Saeed and Khan, who played romantic leads in the popular Pakistani drama "Zindagi Gulzar Hai". "Barzakh" reunites the actors on screen after a gap of 11 years.

Abbasi, however, said he is not worried because those familiar with his work know that he's not interested in exploring what has been done before. He had already collaborated with Sanam on "Cake".

"The characters they play in this show are extremely different to the characters that they played in the series years ago. Sanam was perfect for the role. She has this great mix of stoicism and softness. I have a really great working relationship with her... She had read 'Churails' but she couldn't do it because of scheduling conflicts.

"Fawad was someone who was suggested by one of our producers. He got the script, he read it and he liked it. He understood that it was an ensemble piece but the story spoke to him," the director said.

According to Abbasi, the two actors are not only loved for their old pairing but also for the kind of artists they are.

"It might be a completely new setup but they will still get to witness their favourite actors, and I think that is a bonus for all their fans," he added.

Abbasi's stories seem to revolve around family a lot. While "Cake" was about a dysfunctional family's story told from the perspective of its women, "Churails" was based on the concept of a "found family". In "Barzakh", he is returning to the "bonds of blood".

"Family is closely tied to both the themes of love and loss. You love your family like you will never love anyone else because you're born into it. They also end up being the most infuriating people in your life, but you can't easily walk away from them. And you're constantly surrounded by the idea of losing them," he said about the story that took shape during the pandemic.

A fan of Latin American literature and the inherent element of magic realism in some of these stories, the London-based director said working on the series felt like going back to school to study mythology, cultures, and religions all over again.

"I am always interested in making the emotion as authentic as possible while creating the world around it porous so it kind of shifts between the real and unreal.

"Even though the show is shot in Hunza Valley, which is a beautiful valley in northern Pakistan, it's called the Land of Nowhere, a liminal space that can be both real and imaginary," the director said.

Good stories are being told by new voices in both Pakistan and India, he said citing the examples of "Joyland", Saim Sadiq's internationally loved movie from Pakistan or the recent Cannes win of Payal Kapadia's "All We Imagine As Light".

"'Joyland was a great moment of pride for all of us. It is a beautiful film. There are a lot of new voices. It's about the diversity of voices everywhere. Even in India, like the, some of the new content that's coming out, the recent film that won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

"There are a lot of new voices that have a different approach. The goal for everyone is to be as authentic as possible. I fall somewhere in the middle where I don't do commercial cinema. I do deeply emotional content, which kind of amalgamates the arthouse world and the commercial space."

The hope, going forward, is to get more people to watch Pakistani shows and movies internationally, he said.

"It's a moment of honour for me when 'Churails' gets watched anywhere else in the world, even though there were issues domestically with it."

"Barzakh" was produced by Shailja Kejriwal and Waqas Hassan and Kejriwal also backed "Churails". Abbasi said they are now exploring to do something more.

"Something probably ancient and epic and sort of explores more myths," he said.