The trailer of Shabad: Reet Aur Riwaaz is out — and it’s an intense, emotionally grounded look at family, legacy, and unspoken pain. Set in the heart of Punjab, the coming-of-age series stars Surinder Vicky and Mihir Ahuja as a father and son locked in a battle between tradition and self-identity.
The series premieres on Zee5 on February 6.
A story of legacy vs choice
Shabad: Reet Aur Riwaaz follows Ghuppi Singh, a 16-year-old boy living with a chronic stammer. Born into a family with a deep-rooted devotion to Sikh spiritual music, Ghuppi is expected to carry forward the legacy of his father Harminder Singh, a respected Ragi singer who also balances a corporate life.
But Ghuppi’s heart lies elsewhere — on the football field.
The trailer captures his quiet rebellion as he finds freedom and confidence in sport, even as his father pushes him toward singing and preserving the family’s musical heritage. What unfolds is a deeply personal conflict where love slowly turns into pressure, and silence speaks louder than words.
Generational tension at the core
As emotions rise, Shabad explores the fragile space between inheritance and individuality. Ghuppi is forced to rehearse hymns he struggles to sing, mocked by relatives for not living up to the family name, and constantly reminded of what he “should” be.
The trailer avoids melodrama and instead leans into restraint — showing how expectations, when left unspoken, can quietly suffocate young dreams.
Mihir Ahuja on playing Ghuppi
Speaking about the role, Mihir Ahuja described Ghuppi as one of the most honest characters he has played. He explained that the stammer isn’t just a speech condition, but a reflection of everything the boy struggles to express — fear, ambition, desire, and the longing to be accepted.
He added that Shabad captures that universal phase where every young person feels torn between being a “good child” and being true to themselves — a conflict many viewers will instantly recognise.
Surinder Vicky on a father shaped by faith
Surinder Vicky’s Harminder Singh is not painted as a villain. Instead, the character is driven by faith, discipline, and a genuine fear of losing legacy. Vicky shared that what moved him about the show was how it portrays parents — not as oppressors, but as flawed individuals whose unrealised dreams and unspoken emotions shape their actions.
The trailer reflects this complexity, making Harminder both stern and sympathetic.
A story about listening
Director Ameet Guptha describes Shabad as a story about listening — to children, to parents, and to the silence that exists between them. According to him, the series examines how love mixed with expectation can turn into pressure, and how empathy, not authority, becomes the real path to healing.
Final words
With its grounded performances, emotional restraint, and culturally rooted setting, Shabad: Reet Aur Riwaaz looks set to deliver a poignant exploration of growing up under the weight of tradition. The trailer promises a story that doesn’t shout — it listens.
For viewers drawn to intimate, character-driven dramas about family and identity, this one deserves a place on the watchlist when it lands on Zee5 this February.
