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Pakistan film industry's most famous actor Fawad Khan's new TV show Barzakh has been surrounded by controversies. Released in July, this show shows romance between two men, which is being strongly condemned in Pakistan. The controversy over showing homosexual relationship increased to such an extent that there is a demand to ban the show. The show was also being accused of spoiling the atmosphere of Pakistan, after which the makers have now decided to stop its streaming. The show has been removed from the YouTube page of Zindagi channel.
After almost 12 years of the superhit show Zindagi Gulzar Hai, the pair of Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed have appeared together in the show Barzakh. The show was announced on 19 March 2023 and its first look was also released. The show premiered on 19 July 2024 on Zindagi channel. For the global audience, it was uploaded on the OTT platform Zee5 and Zindagi channel's YouTube channel.
A total of 6 episodes of the show were released, however the show has been surrounded by controversies in Pakistan due to objectionable content. In one episode of this show directed by Pakistani director Asim Abbasi, Fawad Khan, playing the role of Saifullah, was shown very close to Franco, playing Lorenzo. Apart from this, there are many bold and homosexual romance scenes in the show.
There were demands to boycott the show in Pakistan for showing homosexual relationships. The show was accused of spoiling the atmosphere of the country, due to which the controversy is heating up.
The director of the show had said- don't watch my content
As the controversy escalated, the show’s director Asim Abbasi wrote: “With all due respect, if you don’t like my weird non-hetero storylines, please don’t watch my content.”
Zindagi channel released official statement
When the controversy did not stop even after a long time, the makers of the show announced its removal from YouTube through the official Instagram of Zindagi channel. The post reads, Zindagi Channel and the team of the show Barzakh are grateful for the support of their global audience. The Barzakh show was created to unite people. However, considering the public sentiments in Pakistan, we have decided to remove it from YouTube in Pakistan. It will be removed from August 9, 2024. This decision is dedicated to respecting the audience without separation. We appreciate your continued support.
Let us tell you that the show Barzakh is a supernatural fantasy drama series, directed by Asim Abbasi. Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed are in the lead roles in the show.
Fawad Khan was surrounded by controversies after coming to India
After achieving success in Pakistan, Fawad Khan made his Bollywood debut with the 2014 film Khoobsurat. After this, the actor also appeared in Kapoor and Sons with Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra. Fawad Khan got a lot of love and success in India, however, after the Uri attack, all Pakistani artists living in India were banned.
Fawad Khan was a part of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil when the ban was imposed. The controversy grew so much that Fawad Khan was not included in the promotional event of the show and there were demands to ban the film. It was announced that if any film of a Pakistani artist was released, the makers would have to face dire consequences. The film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was released amidst many controversies, although Fawad had to leave India before that.