A source from the show’s unit reveals, “It’s unclear whether the disabling of the app is a pre-emptive step taken by the Pakistani authorities. There is a strong rumour that the show will be banned. The backlash has compelled our lead Ahad Raza Mir to delete most of the promotional material from his social media feed. There’s a misconception that this is a love story.”

Backed by Zindagi chief creative officer Shailja Kejriwal, the Umera Ahmed-written story follows Vishal, a boy from India, and Sara, a Pakistani, whose fathers are martyred in a cross-border skirmish. Conditioned to see one another as the enemy, the two find themselves united in grief, leading to an unlikely friendship. Disturbed by the turn of events, Ahmed released a detailed statement, explaining how Dhoop Ki Deewar isn’t a love story but a “social tragedy” that examines the grief and loneliness of martyred soldiers’  families.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.84%

AAP 41.79%

INC 25.37%

Submit

View All In Poll

This is the third Zindagi original after Churails, Ek Jhoothi Love Story, after the vertical was revived last July. The platform had decided to make the show free for its audience in Pakistan, days before its intended release. A source from the platform says, “The release of Churails last year had sparked outrage, but the magnitude is higher this time around. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Pakistan had vetted the script before it went into production to avoid such a scenario. One can’t be sure when the app will be restored in Pakistan.”

The teams of ZEE5 and Zindagi declined to comment.

Also read: Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad: Happy to find fresh viewers for my film