Khauf Review | A Harrowing Tale Of Survival In A World Shaped By Male Violence
Created by Smita Singh and directed by Pankaj Kumar and Surya Balakrishnan, Khauf (2025) is very clear about its antagonist from the very first frame. It isn’t a ghost or some sinister energy lurking in the corridors somewhere—that comes later. It’s the grim persistence of predatory men to turn even the most mundane moments of […]
Misogyny as the Monster in Khauf
This tale of horror is woven with the traumatic reality of being a woman in India Every once in a while, desi OTT will throw up something for those who hope for more than the tedious, safe and formulaic tripe that hogs our screens. Prime Video’s newly released eight-episode series, Khauf is just that. Set in 2017, […]
Khauf looks at male aggression and the psyche of trauma through horror
Khauf, the gripping new eight-episode miniseries streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is the latest take on Indian horror. What makes the show special is how it gives shape to the ‘fear’ not just of the supernatural, but of male gaze and aggression, both physical and psychological. We spoke to writer and creator Smita Singh and […]
Write the hell out of a horror film?
Going back-to-back from Khauf (Prime Video) to Sinners (theatrical release), you figure there can certainly be spook with substance! The protagonist of Smita Singh’s series Khauf (that’s dropped on Amazon Prime Video) is a rape survivor, who then moves from Gwalior to Delhi, where her boyfriend lives. She’s searching for a job, and having found […]
Khauf: A well-crafted tale of patriarchy’s trauma, beyond supernatural fears
Hats off to writer Smita Singh and cinematographer-director Pankaj Kumar, co-director Surya Balakrishnan for their outstanding collaboration on a psychological horror thriller masterpiece that sets a new benchmark for the genre, showcasing exceptional creative prowess. The horror genre often relies on familiar tropes – creepy settings, dark palettes, ominous shadows, eerie background scores, and slow […]
Khauf Season 1 Review : A psychological horror that doesn’t quite haunt all the way
Story: Madhu (Monika Panwar), a young woman from Gwalior, moves into a women’s hostel in Delhi, yearning for a fresh start. But when she’s assigned a room with a violent past, her new life quickly begins to unravel — haunted by memories she’s tried to forget and forces she can’t explain. Review: After Chhorii 2, Amazon Prime’s Khauf attempts to […]
Khauf review: Monika Panwar steals the show in slow-burn horror where patriarchy haunts, men are scarier than monsters
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 […]
Khauf Review: Monika Panwar & Rajat Kapoor Shine In Smita Singh’s Psychological Horror
Being a woman in India is not for the faint of heart, and Smita Singh’s new show Khauf has proved that. From getting stalked relentlessly to facing violent acts, like sexual harassment and physical assault, after rejecting the advances of your stalker, she has blended the real-life horrors faced by women in India with the […]
Khauf Review: We Have Heard ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ But Do You Know ‘Darr Ke Peeche Mard Hai?’ This Winner Of A Web Series Tells That Simply & Honestly!
Khauf Review: What’s It About: Khauf in the very first episode, offers the scariest moment one could witness – a woman walking on the lanes of a secluded road in Delhi and each passing second seems like a lifetime with a stalker following her and the woman trying to live the horror, probably the scariest […]
‘Khauf’ review: A relentlessly dark tale of human and demonic possession
The eight-episode Hindi series stars Monika Panwar, Rajat Kapoor, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Chum Darang, Priyanka Setia and Shilpa Shukla. Something sinister is lurking in room 333 of the Pragati Working Woman Hostel – something so dark that it prevents four of the women from ever leaving the building. They haven’t been the same since Anu (Asheema […]
