Fawad Khan, who charmed his way into people’s hearts as Zaroon from Zindagi Gulzar Hai, is set to feature in Zindagi’s upcoming web series, which will stream on ZEE5. The yet-to-be-titled series is helmed by director Asim Abbasi, who also helmed Zindagi’s maiden OTT project Churails that was appreciated by the critics and viewers alike.

The new series, featuring Fawad, blends magical realism and supernatural fantasy within a family reunion setting and deals with love, loss and reconciliation. Seen in a role different from his earlier shows, the actor plays a single parent — charming, but ridden with guilt for what he has lost. With his son, he tries to be every bit the father his own father was and wasn’t. A large part of the show has been shot in the picturesque Hunza Valley in Pakistan.

Fawad says, “I loved Asim Abbasi’s film Cake. This untitled project, in my opinion, is like Cake on steroids. It’s a family drama with a supernatural/magical tadka. I jumped at the opportunity as soon as I read the script, and it’s been an amazing ride.”

Abbasi added, “I believe this new series is my most personal and intimate work to date, dealing with universal themes of how we search for meaning in love and what happens when we lose that love. But what I am most excited about is having been given the opportunity to tell the story, on this epic, otherworldly canvas, in a way that I don’t believe has been done before.”

Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Content Officer, Zee Special Projects, Zee Entertainment, said, “Both Fawad Khan and Asim Abbasi are passionate about telling great stories and have been an integral part of our content and philosophy. We are glad that we now have a script that brings the two sensations together. The show promises to be a one-of-akind experience for the audiences with a story based on a family saga set in a mythical place where supernatural and magic abound.”

Zindagi, which aired on TV as a channel earlier, is now available on ZEE5 with over 50+ shows. It made its mark with original shows like Churails, Dhoop Ki Deewar and one of its most anticipated series Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam, which premiered last week and has been appreciated across all quarters.

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Let’s admit it. Many of us have been watching countless re-runs of Khoobsurat (2014) and Zindagi Gulzar Hai only to have our fill of Fawad Khan. Looks like that is about to change as the Pakistani sensation is set to make a comeback on Indian screens, five years after his appearance in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).

mid-day has learnt that the actor will headline Zindagi’s next original, a yet-untitled show that blends magical realism and supernatural fantasy within the setting of a family reunion. The show, which has already gone on floors, is being helmed by Asim Abbasi who previously directed the heartwarming Cake (2018) and the much talked-about series Churails (2020). Fawad reunites with Zindagi Gulzar Hai co-star Sanam Saeed, who plays the central female character in the series. Harboring otherworldly secrets, she takes it upon herself to heal, and make whole, everyone who surrounds her.

Having burst on the Bollywood scene with Khoobsurat in 2014, Khan soon became a sought-after face, featuring in Kapoor and Sons (2016) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Aditya Dhar’s Raat Baaki, featuring Katrina Kaif and bankrolled by Karan Johar, was to be the actor’s next. However, the project was put on hold following the 2016 Uri attacks that triggered an industry-wide ban on Pakistani artistes. It was then that Zindagi that would previously air Pakistani content, shut operations. The channel was resurrected mid-last year as an arm of ZEE5, and relaunched with Abbasi’s Churails.

The series sees Khan play a single parent to his son, trying to be the doting father that his dad wasn’t to him. Appreciating how the channel has brought Pakistani content to Indian audience in the current political climate, he says, “Zindagi is taking bold and brave decisions when it comes to storytelling. It’s naturally evolving into a platform that encourages diversity of opinion and inclusiveness for all filmmakers, and material ranging from everyday mainstream to avant-garde and noir. I feel there’s a place for everyone in this artistic landscape.”

Leading lady Saeed pitches in, saying, "I'm thrilled to be collaborating with one of my favorite directors Asim Abbasi again, this time for Zindagi. This new project embarks on a fantastical journey with some stunning performances by a very meticulously picked cast. I can't wait for everyone to see the magic that's been created in this beautiful limbo land."

The show’s significance isn’t lost on Abbasi either. “Zindagi has become a pioneer, not only for India-Pakistan OTT collaborations, but also for encouraging artistes to push boundaries of narrative storytelling. It has become a home for many filmmakers like me, where we can see our craziest, wildest ideas come to fruition.”

Producer Shailja Kejriwal, chief content officer, special projects, Zee Entertainment, adds, “Fawad and Sanam have massive popularity among the audiences and there's often been a lot of demand to bring them onscreen together. Our effort however, was always to focus on identifying the right script that would do justice to both their talent and our long standing association with them. We believe this show - a genre defying series, is the perfect opportunity to extend the special association we have with them, and it is certainly a win for us to be able to find the right creative collaborators for this show."