Producer Zindagi will take away the sequence “Balza” starring high Pakistani actors Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed from YouTube Pakistan amid ongoing controversy over queer content material Barzakh.
“Zindagi and the Barzakh group want to categorical our honest gratitude to the worldwide viewers for his or her unwavering assist of Barzakh – a present designed to carry folks collectively all over the world. However given the present public sentiment in Pakistan, we’ve got determined to voluntarily take away Barzakh from YouTube Pakistan Withdrawal, this resolution will take impact on August 9, 2024. We sincerely thanks in your understanding and continued assist.
The six-episode sequence is produced by Waqas Hassan and Shailja Kejriwal for Zindagi, an Indian subcontinent-focused present on streamer ZEE5 International. The movie is directed by critically acclaimed director Asim Abbasi, who additionally directed Zindagi’s first Pakistani authentic, “Churails,” in addition to Pakistan’s 2019 Oscar contender, “Cake.”
Set within the Hunza Valley, the story revolves round a reclusive 76-year-old man who invitations his estranged household to his distant valley resort for an uncommon occasion – a marriage to the ghost of his old flame. Individuals’s reflections on life. The sequence touches on subjects resembling psychological well being, postpartum despair, intergenerational trauma and gender inclusivity. It additionally explores the function of folklore in human expertise. The controversy began when the present’s two male leads virtually kissed.
Barzakh can seek advice from the place that separates the dwelling from the afterlife, or the place the place the soul rests earlier than the Day of Judgment. One viewer mentioned the play “twists Balzac’s Islamic ideas right into a fantastical narrative. Filled with vulgarity, LGBTQ, and promotion of Illuminati and Jewish Kabbalah magic,” one other mentioned, “Cover within the title of drama. The LGBTQ agenda is being normalized via performs like Balzac.
The ultimate episode of the present will air on August 6.
The sequence premiered at Sequence Mania final yr to crucial acclaim.
