Controversial Barzakh removed from YouTube as producer hits out at Pakistani viewers
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After causing healthy debates on all over social media, the controversial web series Barzakh has been removed from YouTube. Zee Zindagi’s producer Shailja Kejriwal has assailed Pakistani viewers for ‘hypocrisy’, recounting her Zee5 show ‘Dhoop Ki Deewar’ which caused severe criticism and the channel ban in Pakistan, but a year later, Sajal Aly got a Presidential Award for it.
Barzakh, directed by Pakistani filmmaker Asim Abbasi for the Indian streaming platform Zee5, had been announced for withdrawal by the producers a few days back due to huge backlash.
The producers stated that Barzakh would be removed from YouTube on August 9.
All six episodes of the series were deleted from Zee Zindagi's YouTube channel in the early hours of August 9 and 10.
According to the Indian producers, Barzakh has only been removed from YouTube Pakistan, while it remains accessible on YouTube platforms in India and other countries.
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The series, shot in Pakistan's popular tourist destination Hunza and Karachi, featured a cast including Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Ayeza Gillani, Eman Suleman, Khushhal Khan, Aniqah Zulfiqar Ali, Salman Shahid, and Franco Gost.
The series depicted themes such as homosexuality, obscenity, adultery, and child indoctrination, leading Pakistani fans and several showbiz personalities to demand a ban.
Notably, renowned Pakistani fashion designer Maria B filed a petition with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) seeking a ban on Barzakh.
Here are notable words of Shailja Kejriwal: “I have YouTube data( being in a large corporate) to be able to prove by numbers what the “awaam” of Pakistan is watching on YouTube! There was so much outrage on my show DHOOP KI DEEWAR that Zee5 was banned! And a year later Sajal was given the presidential award for it!”
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