MUMBAI: The official poster of actors Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed's upcoming series 'Barzakh' was unveiled by the makers ahead of its global premiere at the Series Mania festival in France. A Zindagi Original, the Pakistani show is directed by Asim Abbasi of 'Churails' and produced by Shailja Kejriwal. The series will see Fawad, one of the most popular actors in the sub-continent, in the role of a single parent battling guilt and loss.


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Sanam plays the central female character who is mysterious as well as compassionate in the show which blends together magical realism and supernatural fantasy within a family reunion setting, and deals with themes of love, loss and reconciliation.


'Barzakh', which translates as 'obstacle' or 'purgatory', will be screened as part of International Panorama line-up, a 12-title competitive section and is also nominated in several categories such as Best Series, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor as well as the Student Jury award and the Audience award.


"Coinciding with our Series Mania premiere, our poster that we now reveal to the world offers an early glimpse into what can be expected from the series - abstract beauty and ambiguity that reflects the complexities in navigating human relationships in a post-modern world," Khan said in a statement. Saeed, who earlier worked with Khan in the popular Pakistani drama ?Zindagi Gulzar Hai?, said it feels surreal to attend the Series Mania festival.


"'Barzakh' is a story that I connected with from the minute I heard it and in Asim Abbasi's hands, it's been crafted into a moving, beautiful series that will renew our faith in love and life.


"It's what led me to not only take on the challenging role but also made me look at life in a different light. It is very different from what we have seen on screen and all the actors have performed extremely different diverse roles," she added.


Held annually at Lille in France, the Series Mania festival, since its inception in 2010, has been instrumental in recognising and curating the best series across the world.


According to Abbasi, "Barzakh" explores the themes of love and memory. "We wanted a visual that represented love in its eternal manifestation, but, which like memory, also had a fleeting, ephemeral quality about ? like time slipping by and evaporating around us, leaving behind a distant, but vivid, memory of the moment it all began," he said.


Producer Kejriwal said 'Barzakh' is the first ever Indo-Pak cross-border series to premiere at a global stage. "Amidst the excitement, we are extremely proud to be presenting the series poster - as enigmatic and as beautiful as the series we have collectively created. This has been a genuine labour of love that has transcended borders, signified by the fact that we will be premiering to a wholly international audience that has gathered from across the globe," she added.


'Zindagi Gulzar Hai' had introduced Fawad and Sanam to Indian audiences and continues to be one of the most loved Pakistani dramas in the country, followed by Fawad and Mahira Khan's 'Humsafar'.


Abbasi shot to global fame with his Netflix film 'Cake' and gained further acclaim with Zindagi show 'Churails', a show that told stories of women from different strata of Karachi and how they come together to fight social evils through a secret detective agency.