The month of July was a mix bag for Zee5. While the streamer had a few original titles as well as licensed content, nothing stood out except Pakistani drama ‘Barzakh’. Other than that July was about average for Zee5, with not much fluctuations.
The first thing to come in July on Zee5 was comedy thriller series ‘Loop 11:47’. Despite being an ambitious attempt at alternate reality concept, the show does not impress, is unappealing and feels forced at various points.
Next up was Zee5 Original film ‘Kakuda’, a horror comedy drama that looks like a variant of ‘Stree’ and has very mild scares. The highlight is definitely Sonakshi Sinha and Riteish Deshmukh’s performances, and some witty dialogues.
Then there’s this surreal Pakistani mystery drama series ‘Barzakh’ by ‘Churails’ creator Asim Abbasi and he has stuck gold once again. Superb visualisation, excellent performances and a different take on a dysfunctional family dynamics make ‘Barzakh’ a must watch.
Alongside ‘Barzakh’, Zee5 also released Telugu series ‘Bahishkarana’ on the same day. This rustic action drama has a decent premise with well etched characters and impressive performances but the treatment of the show is dated and is slow to take off with a gimmicky narration.
Then towards the end there was ‘Chalti Rahe Zindagi’ and Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Bhaiyyaji’. The former is a feel good film reminiscent of pandemic times, with good performances. Though its flaws are the rushed character arcs and an overdone premise.
As for ‘Bhaiyaaji’, it is Manoj Bajpayee’s 100th film and second with ‘Bandaa’ fame Apoorv Singh Karki, but the duo could not recreate the same magic this time despite Bajpayee’s solid presence. The story is predictable and seems to be riding on two boats with one leg trying to pull a desi action entertainer while the other trying to portray realistic, relatable character; ultimately falling between the two.
Overall, ‘Barzakh’ was the highlight of the month of July for Zee5, with others neither being too great or too dud. An average month is better than a bad one and that stands true for Zee5 this time.