Khauf review: Monika Panwar and Rajat Kapoor excel in this slow-burn horror that is as much about patriarchy as it is about the supernatural.
Khauf review
Cast: Monika Panwar, Rajat Kapoor, Abhishek Chauhan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Shilpa Shukla
Creator: Smita Singh
Rating: ★★★.5
For a long time, Indian horror-or rather Hindi horror-had been shackled by the usual tropes. Reliance on the grotesque, too many jump scares, titillation, and sleaze mixed with spooks. The formula worked, but also hindered the growth of the genre here. A few storytellers have tried to subvert that in the last few years, and Smita Singh’s Khauf is another milestone in that direction. While far from perfect, the show is a positive step in reinventing Indian horror in the slow-burn mould where content and real-world issues merge with traditional scares to give a story that is not just scary but also relevant.
What is Khauf about
Madhuri (Monika Panwar) moves into Room 333 of a working women’s hostel on the outskirts of Delhi, close to Sanjay Van. She is battling a trauma that she has tried to leave behind in her hometown of Gwalior, but it follows her, like a spectre. To make matters worse, the other women in the hostel warn her about the ‘sinister’ room. The last occupant had died, and Madhuri soon discovers she may be the target of some spirit. Parallelly, a hakim in Old Delhi (Rajat Kapoor) is trying to prey on vulnerable women to extract their life essence to save his own life. When his paths cross with Madhuri, he devises a scheme, using the pain of an alcoholic cop (Geetanjali Kulkarni) looking for her missing son.
