Khauf (Season 1)
Introduction
Back in the day, a typical horror setting would look something like this – a haunted mansion hosting a spirit that would soon target a hapless damsel in distress (notice how my mind immediately zeroed in on a particular gender even in this gender-neutral genre), even as the latter would be inquisitive about a ghostly presence. And that perfectly sums up the cliche tagged to this genre. Keeping that in mind, the new Hindi show Khauf has a setup that is a straight up anti-thesis of the genre. The setting is Delhi in 2017 living in the Post Nirbhaya world. The fear is more external than internal, more with respect to the male gaze than a supernatural presence. The latter is still shown to be eradicated by a character holding a cross, but the former lives on to tell a repetitive story, one that is passed onto multiple generations of patriarchy. In the same scene, you see a female hustling through the dimly lit streets at night. The fear is palpable while fuelling her gait that remains dodgy but unwavering due to the presence of a male gaze. The implied gaze is enough to run a chill down her spine, even as the focus shifts on a lazer light that examines her body parts in the worst of the nightmares for the female character. On reaching her hostel, she is reprimanded through words by other girls in the hostel, another setting that seems like an extension of the dark realms of the city. In other words, there is no escaping this evil called the ‘male gaze’.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Smita Singh (Co-writer of Sacred Games), one of the most interesting aspect of Khauff remains its attention for the details. Even when the drama takes a 6-month leap, the makers are cautious of not providing a sort of distinction with respect to the tone or colour grading. In the purest sense, it is representative of the same world that you were privy to at the start of the show, and that nothing really has changed (and perhaps, this nightmare would continue for an eternity). Amidst this, you are introduced to the character of Madhuri (Monika Panwar) who enters the city with a lot of hope. Here, Delhi remains a city of escape for Madhuri from the trauma-stricken city of Gwalior that she leaves for better pastures, and an opportuniy to spend time with her partner Arun (Abhishek Chauhan). But her welcome in the city is equivalent to a thousand nightmares featuring the male gaze. You see an intimate kissing session paused in an autorickshaw just because the male gaze was lecherously examining them through a rear-view mirror. The story remains the same at Arun’s place – the space constraint is synonymous to Kanu Behl’s Agra (2023) wherein Arun asks Madhuri to “wait” before his flatmates leave the flat, but not that he actually means it!
The male gaze continues to traumatize Madhuri in the city at regular intervals – her top is smeared by sperm after a bus-ride, she is inappropriately touched at an underground subway, and slut-shamed for wearing a brighter shade of the lipstick. Even the ‘men’ around her have their own set of challenges – a supposed green-flag-guy Nakul (Gagan Arora) is laced with a sense of uncentainty given how Madhuri suspects him to be the chief assaulter at a college event in Gwalior. The lesser toxic Arun too is a man-child, almost circling every conversation towards his inability to protect her during the act, and having to compensate for the same by going to the gym. The details are priceless with a stark reminder on how all males may not be the same but, the streak of patriarchy and toxicity does run deep.
It is early on that you see Madhuri taking the decision to shift to a girls’ hostel that houses a pregnant lady Rima (Priyanka Setia), a Kohima migrant Svetlana (Chum Darang), a former call-girl Komal (Riya Shukla) and a privileged but stuttering kid Nikki (Rashmi Mann), all of whom who have a common problem – they cannot leave the hostel due to a lurking curse. Here, I liked how the details were vague, almost provided stuttering references of a death that had taken place at room 333 (a half-evil given how 666 is devil’s number) in the hostel. The death circled around another girl Anu (Asheema Vardaan) who once resided in the same room that now hosts Madhuri. It is almost like playing with your psyche and allowing you to believe on how Anu now is a revenge seeking spirit given the multiple chilling incidents that transpire in the room. It is symbolic of how mostly girls are blamed in a relationship gone wrong, a template that is still travelling its course on social media even today. This, even as the lines are consistently blurred while depicting a psychological impact of Madhuri losing her mind, and a presence of the supernatural – both of which keep the viewers guessing!
Some of the other characters also shape up this world rather effectively. You are introduced to a strict but sincere warden Gracie (Shalini Vatsa) who is also programmed into blaming the girls for all the events that transpire in the hostel. Then there is Ilu Mishra (Geetanjali Kulkarni) who is friends with Gracie, and desperately searching for her son who has suddenly disappeared. Through a couple of flashbacks, we are told that her son Jeeva (Satyam Sharma) shares a pricky relationship with her while often indulging in illegal activities. But this is where the character of Ilu is interesting – her blinding trait of her mother supersedes the gaze of morality, even as you see her often bailing out her son from criminal proceedings. The byproduct of this remains the behavior of Jeeva who casually abuses women while honing his male gaze in the most terrifying manner possible.
It is also ironic on how Madhuri watches the horror film Nosferatu (1922) even as you are introduced to the character of a hakkim (a chilling Rajat Kapoor). It is symbolic of his vampire-esque ambitions, using his skills of treatment only as a coverup for sacrifice and thirst. It is also ironic of how the character is shown to be a serial killer who relies on the weakened souls of women to attain strength. There is an allegory of patriarchy here – a trait that feeds on the fear of women who choose not to fight back, but rather blend into the surrounding while resigning from their fate!
There are standard tropes of the genre wonderfully used as a subversive commentary. In a scene, you see a possessed Madhuri hunting down her predators which ironically has a further reference to lust and dominance. It is an intertwined theme of how the root cause of reactions by women are also directly linked to the hovering male gaze. The events are chilling at regular intervals even as the emphasis remains on the atmospherics and objects that act as an anti-thesis themselves. In multiple scenes, you see a depiction of an open-armed image of SRK dangling in the room that represents two things – the idea of a green-flag for women in warding off the evil that exists in the room. And the fact that that idea alone remains fictional, even as the nightmare extends to every corner of the room. In another scene, there is a reference to a rod, an object that is again used to wear off evil. Yet when a character remarks on how everyone knows how a rod was used previously (referring to the Nirbhaya case), you just feel like a hapless character (like the girls) trapped in this unending nightmare.
The extended flashback sequence also boasts of several instances wherein the recurring theme male gaze is highlighted. A landlord throwing the girls out on the streets in the middle of the night, another character concealing his engagement with his partner, a sweet uncle suddenly turning rogue while witnessing a female character smoking, are all instances of horror that can individually be fleshed out into a tale of their own. Hence, I did feel that the ending did enter a cliched category as far as the stereotypical tropes of the genre are concerned (particularly following a chilling flashback), but it still summed up the screenplay that was detailed, original, exciting and a piece of art that was not a slave of the algorithm.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but they represent the chilling mood of the drama perfectly through the conversations that brew. The constant switch between an atmospheric horror to something belonging to the supernatural, are wonderfully represented through the lines that lure you into the narrative and make you witness the nightmare. The BGM and the sound design are absolutely brilliant and integral elements that highlight the impact of a psychological and an atmospheric horror. The cinematography is excellent as well with frames that often act as allegories. For instance, an aerial shot of Delhi showcases the diminishing jungle area that represents the shrinking womb of women. Elsewhere, the dampness in the hostel is representative of the psyche of males, and the narrow corridors represent the narrow thinking that they represent, even as you see women constantly terrorized in that confined space. The costumes by Karishma Sharma are excellent, almost complimenting the setting with grip shades to boast of. The editing is razor sharp and quite honestly, builds an intriguing world of fear that is worth a million nightmares. Directors Pankaj Kumar (also the cinematographer here) and Surya Balakrishnan manage to do a stunning job here with the world building, characterization and the allegories that are interspersed in the narrative. There are some chilling moments that are showcased with such finesse that you are consistently invested in the proceedings at any given point of time in the narrative. The use of lighting by the makers was also a sight to witness here, and something that helps build the ambience of a horror. The direction remained excellent through and through.
Performances
The performances are brilliant by the members of the cast. Ambika Vani, Kanika Lakhani, Somya Singh, Delzad Hirale as Babban, Arista Mehta, Aanchal Verrma and Aparna Menon have their moments to shine and all of them manage to impress. Kommal Chhabriaa and Taniya Kalrra as Nikki’s mother and Nikki’s sister respectively are natural to the core and they deliver such solid acts. Aastha Sidana as Bela is terrific in a character that is subsconciously programmed to patriarchy. You don’t see her questioning her boyfriend even once after the accusations bestowed upon him. Satyam Sharma as Jeeva is incredible with his unhinged act, so much so that he will infuriate you with his language and antics. Yet, he uses his body language effectively to literally come across as a creep. Shilpa Shukla is sincere and honest with her performance while bringing in a sense of calm and dignity to it. She is a treat to witness in a role that can best be termed as empowering.
Shalini Vatsa as Gracie deliberately is a character with a high pitch to mask her guilt of ‘supporting’ patriarchy in many ways (something that is implied). You witness her kind-hearted nature every now and then, often masked by her boisterous side that she pulls off masterfully. Geetanjali Kulkarni as Ilu Mishra is excellent here is a character that is layered in many ways. Her morality is representative of her job as a cop, but her biasness creeps his during her mommy duties towards her foul-mouthed son. And this dichotomy is wonderfully represented through her character in a superb act. Rajat Kapoor may just have delivered one of the most bone-chilling acts of recent times. He is initimidating and stoic while completely being unflinching with his “acts” that will send a shiver down your spine. It is an act equivalent of a million nightmares!
Asheema Vardaan as Anu has a towering screen presence, and she pulls off her character with a lot of confidence. And the different shades that her character is subjected to, is directly reflected in her shift of expressions and body language that makes this performance a winner! Riya Shukla as Komal and Rashmi Mann as Nikki are vital cogs in this drama, and they put forth commendable performances that contribute to the ambience of the horror. Priyanka Setia as Rima delivers a knockout performance that may seem cold and conniving to begin with, but soon followed by such a strong emotional core that you are thoroughly invested in her act. The horrors of breeding a girl-child was another interesting allegory through her character, almost signifying on how the horrors for a girl starts from her birth. It was a memorable performance by her. Chum Darang as Svetlana is outstanding to the core. Her conflict remains that of an identity in a ‘foreign’ land which honestly is the sad reality today. She emotes her vulnerability rather well in a performance that is pretty solid to witness.
Gagan Arora as Nakul has a smokescreen surrounding his persona. He is a perceived ‘green-flag’ guy who is soft and takes care of his ailing father without being a victim of his circumstances. Yet, there is a streak of toxicity tagged to his character that is diabolically opposite of his image. And Gagan balances these diverse spectrums expertly in his act. Abhishek Chauhan delivers yet another solid performance as Arun. Arun shows ‘lesser’ traits of toxicity but you cannot deny his controlling behavior while doubling up as a man-child. The germ of masculinity is definitely represented through his character, and he nails each of these grey areas with subtle bouts of authority (with respect to his act).
Monika Panwar is probably the ‘soul’ of the show here as Madhuri, a character that is increasingly complex and layered. There isn’t a single trait that could define her character completely. There is a past trauma bothering her, and an endless bout of trauma welcoming her in the new city. Her dynamics with various characters is conflicted, even while risking her ability to lose her mind, or worse even be possessed. There is a lot going around her character with the simplest emotion being of fear. And Monika puts forth a performance of a lifetime, hitting every beat of her character to the T. She never misses a single beat while showcasing her vulnerability to perfection. This was an acting masterclass of the highest order!
Conclusion
The first season of Khauf is a brilliantly subversive horror of the male gaze with solid performances that makes for an excellent watch. Jeez, this may well be a landmark Indian show to come out in the horror space – it is original, exciting and terrifying. Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!
