The show isn’t in a rush to prove itself, and it asks the same of you. Hang in there. Khauf is one of those rare series that rewards the patient viewer with a payoff that’s not just worth it—it’s unforgettable.
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Monika Panwar, Chum Darang, Gagan Arora, Abhishek Chauhan & more
Directed by: Pankaj Kumar & Surya Balkrishnan
Created & Written by: Smita Singh
To christen a show Khauf and deliver on that promise so literally is bold in itself—but to metaphorically, cinematically, and wholly embody it in unprecedented ways is a creative feat of the highest order. Creator and writer Smita Singh, in collaboration with directors Surya Balkrishnan and Pankaj Kumar, has pulled off something audacious, complex, and thoroughly compelling—and how.
Khauf wastes no time setting the tone. It opens in a chilling, dimly lit alleyway with a woman, Anu, returning to her hostel dorm during the late hours of a weekend night. There’s an ominous presence—a hint of someone following her, stalking her every step. Where are we? Of course, it’s Delhi. And with that, we’re introduced not just to horror as a genre trope, but to the most insidious, everyday kind of fear that women live with—fear that simmers, follows, and sometimes violently erupts. This is merely the beginning—what seems like a prototypical horror beat quickly transforms into a far more intricate web of trauma, memory, and psychological decay.
