ISLAMABAD: The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has banned the Pakistani web series “Sevak” and the OTT platformvidly.tv streaming the series that is based on a true story.

The series has been banned on the grounds that it was allegedly anti-India content while vidly has launched the fourth episode of the series.

Sevak is the first original action thriller web series of Pakistan based on true events in India, and the reaction of viewers in India was not only severe but immediate too, as a result, the authorities decided to stop the airing of vidly.com there.

Vidly’s DirectorAnjum Shahzad told media here that the reaction of the Indian ministry was not surprising since Sevak boldly presented unfiltered historic facts, highlighting human rights atrocities and the dangers for minorities living in India.

He added that had set the standard for original web series coming out of Pakistan.

“We felt that the suspense espionage genre is still underutilised, so Vidly has come up with the stellar action thriller, Sevak - The Confessions,” Mr Shazad said, adding: “Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recently reported that the Indian government was systematically discriminating against religious minorities, stifling peaceful dissent and using technology to suppress free expression to tighten its grip on power.”

“Sevak - The Confessions” moves the audience through a seamless journey of events taking place since 1984 in the Indian state of Punjab.

“The series open the mind’s eye to the reality of prevailing and growing terrorism garbed in Hindutva ideology. Each episode is rife with thrill and action, shattering the carefully planted narratives to reveal the truth and manipulation of human suffering and circumstances,” Mr Shahzad added.

The star cast of the series include Mohsin Abbas, Hajra Yamin, Nazarul Hassan, Nayyer Ejaz and Adnan Jaffar while the script was by legendary writer Saji Gul under director Shahzad.

The historical action thriller revolves around a true story of an assassin that follows the journey of Vidya, a journalist, in a quest to find out the truth behind the film star Jeet Singh’s death.

Vidya, a struggling journalist, is striving to keep her father’s legacy alive. She is approached by a mysterious man, Mannu, who promises to give her the biggest story of her career – the death of Jeet Singh was no accident, it was a thought-out murder.

She is intrigued and quickly pulled into the web of mystery spun by Mannu. They set out on their journey to trace the truth behind the death of a Sikh activist.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2023